𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄

12

jisung watched as the girl quickly excused herself and went outside, her phone ringing continuously. he didn't give much thought to it and continued writing down in his notebook some random lyrics.

jaemin was talking with the two others, having a conversation about an artist who had recently gotten exposed for stealing music claiming it was theirs. they were so focused on chatting they didn't even notice the girl who had walked in, her head low, rushing towards the bathroom.

he wouldn't have noticed her either.
not until stephanie passed by him, quietly sobbing, wishing jisung hadn't heard her.

☀️

in the dimly lit bathroom, stephanie stood with trembling hands against the cold porcelain sink. her eyes, red and swollen, reflected the turmoil raging within her. her chest heaved with stifled sobs, her face etched with despair.
she was on the brink of a breakdown, but in her fragile state, she couldn't bear the thought of others overhearing her distress.

the girl clamped her trembling hands over her mouth, biting down on her lower lip to suppress the cries welling up from deep within her. she fought against the desperate urge to let out a scream, to release the pent-up pain and frustration that threatened to drown her.

meanwhile, jisung would occasionally glance towards the bathroom, not knowing if he should check up on her or not, as she had been in there for over 20 minutes now.

fuck it

he knocked on the door 2 times tapping his foot against the floor. he was met with silence but as he was about to knock again, he heard water running. he bit his lip and took a step back, while the girl unlocked the door.

when she opened the door, her eyes met with his. jisung noticed she wasn't in the best state and motioned her to go back into the bathroom.

she didn't move until she felt a hand on her lower back, slightly shoving her back.
he looked back and heard jaemin asking the boys about stephanie.

"i'll tell him you aren't feeling well" jisung said and the girl nodded, closing the door once again.

she was met with silence again, her father's words replaying in her head like a melody. she couldn't get him out of her head.

worthless
unlovable
mistake
pathetic
miserable

were just a few words that escaped his mouth towards his own daughter, yet he didn't care.
he never did.

he is right she thought.

"ji have u seen steph?" jaemin was looking everywhere,growing concerned.
"she's in the bathroom, not feeling well" he put his hands in his pockets and looked at the pink haired male, whom was looking at him with a frustrated face.
"did you tell her something?"
"dude no"
"you guys have been bickering the whole day"
"are you blaming me?"
"i'm not blaming i'm just saying maybe something you said affected her and made her feel like that"
"so yeah you are blaming me, thanks man."

"it's not his fault" stephanie went up to the boys, standing beside jisung. both boys had their eyes on her noticing she looked paler than usual "i just simply don't feel that well, is it okay if we go?"
"yeah sure" jaemin took her by his side, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

the two walked towards taeyong and jihoon who were listening attentively to their conversation, announcing they would be leaving.
jisung didn't even spare a glance towards them and exited the studio, lighting up a cigarette.

-

jaemin dropped the girl off at her studio and told her to rest and eat lots. the girl was thankful for him and his kindness. she thanked him and went to her studio, a sensation of comfort once she stepped in. she quickly changed and laid down on the couch.

she closed her eyes and her mind instantly went to jisung, who stormed off without saying anything. she couldn't make out if she was grateful for him or simply embarrassed he was the one who found her like that.

st3ph02 : is everything alright?

she threw her phone on the couch, getting up to do anything but lay there, suddenly feeling productive.

seated on the grass in an unfamiliar spot, jisung took a drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling and dissipating into the air. his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the girl pondering if it was really his fault for making her feel like that or something else had happened when she answered the phone call. he gazed into the distance, lost in haze of introspection, trying to piece together the puzzle.

as he exhaled a cloud of smoke, his phone buzzed, interrupting his contemplation. he hastily retrieved it from his pocket and saw a text notification from the very girl he had been pondering. with a mix of curiosity and relief, he opened the message, his eyes scanning the words that appeared on the screen.

she's asking me if i'm alright when i should be doing that

he found it kinda ironic.
the girl with red bloodshot eyes and shaky voice was asking the boy if he was okay.
jisung's eyes lingered on the message, re-reading it.

0wonji : shouldn't i be the one asking?

after replying, he clicked on her profile noticing they weren't following eachother yet. he was in a dilemma as he was really curious but at the same time he thought it would make him seem desperate.

curiosity took the best of him, clicking on the "Follow" button before putting his phone down, suddenly growing embarrassed.

he quickly opened his phone and looked at his profile,examining it.
this is so lame
he threw his head back sighing, when he left his phone buzz 3 times.

one message, once request accepted and a follow request.

☀️

"hey steph how are you girl?" isa went up to the girl, suffocating her with a hug.
"im good you?" she closed her eyes at the discomfort.
"i'm amazing, been having some photoshoots for a magazine I'm so so excited" she exclaimed jumping with the girl still in her arms.
"that's amazing" she mouthed the words "save me" to mark who was looking at them, holding back a laugh.

"hey what about my hug" mark stepped in making isa let go of steph.
"thank you" she whispered to him as he chuckled, giving her a comforting hug.

once isa was farther away from them, mark placed his hands the girl's shoulders.
"you alright? you really don't look alright" the girl laughed.
"what's the point in asking if you have an answer?" she placed her hands on his shoulders as well.
both laughing at how they looked like.
"my dad called" mark paused, concerned about her.
"you shouldn't have answered steph"
"i have to visit them this weekend" she sighed "i have no choice" she tilted her head, a sad smile forming on her face.
"i wish i could help steph i really do" he hugged her again, slightly tighter.

one thing about mark the girl loved was his love language towards her. ever since she met him, he'd always been respectful and polite. he wasn't the best with words when it came to comforting her so he would always give her a tight hug, showing her how much he actually cared for the girl.

she hugged him back holding back tears.
"it's okay mark"
it's not okay

as the two conversed, they weren't aware of the boy who was behind the wall.
he didn't mean to eavesdrop.
he had just arrived to get ready for the performance and noticed the two hugging.
he didn't mean to interrupt so he stood there eventually hearing their conversation as well.

so it's her dad's fault

once they stopped, jisung passed them by quickly heading towards the backstage area.
stephanie and mark both noticed him as he rushed.
"shit, do you think he heard us?" steph asked making mark shrug.