Tied Remastered

Chapter 9

Y/n flopped onto his soft bedding. Drafts of conditioned air crushed against his face, creating a balance between the toasty covers and the air. He eagerly opened Chaewon's texts, chuckling.

The man's chuckles caused Hyewon's ears to rise. She rolled to the edge of her bed, hanging her arm just above the carpet.

"Hey, Y/n, can we talk?"

"Talk?" Y/n repeated. He placed his phone down, nodding. "Yeah."

Y/n turned his head toward the hamster, smiling as they locked eyes. Her glistening eyes reminded the man of his situation, raising his heart rate.

"What do you like about me?" Hyewon asked. "Like... Why did you choose me as your bias?"

"Because you're pretty."

Hyewon's curiosity fizzled out fading out with her smile.

"You immediately caught my eye," Y/n continued. "Because of that, I started focusing on you more than the others. Your personality, how you have this... original feeling to everything you do, and the way you add so much to this group. It stood out way more to me than the other members."

Though she stared into his eyes, Hyewon had already closed her ears. She listened to the droning sound of Y/n's rambles as he explored the in's and out's of his adoration toward the woman. But, none of it reached her.

So this is what my fans like...

Y/n chuckled, "It was the opposite for Chaewon though. I didn't think much of her at first. She just seemed like every other average idol; when I heard her singing, I felt enchanted by her voice. Then, I watched her dance and then compilations of her on YouTube."

Of course. The others are liked because they're idols, but I'm liked because of my face.

Hyewon smiled weakly, shoving her façade to the surface. Doing so felt gut wrenching, but it also felt natural—like a reflex. She let off silent sighs as the conversation dragged on like a crewman shoveling buckets of water off a sinking ship.

"Are you okay?" Y/n asked. "You seem tired."

"This bed is really comfortable," Hyewon trailed.

With her opportunity seized, Hyewon closed her eyes, prompting Y/n to divert his attention. Quick glances toward the woman shot rushes of forbidden joy as he felt a sense of power in laying next to her while she slept.

Slowly, Y/n felt his comfort weigh at him once more, draping the covers over his eyes.

Wonyoung creaked the door open, peeking inside. She eyed Hyewon's rising shoulders, prompting the maknae to tiptoe through the room.

Quickly, she checked Y/n before crouching in between the pair.

Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up...

The coral colored tie glowed in Wonyoung's eyes, brightening and diminishing its luminosity as if it were breathing. She wrapped her fingers around the tie, cradling it in her joints, before rising her hand, causing the tie to droop on both sides.

The connection felt real, seeping Y/n's pulse and feelings, as well as Hyewon's feelings into her fingertips. Gently, Wonyoung grabbed the tie's ends, tugging on it. She pulled and pulled until her hands met resistance, prompting her to check the unraveled string.

That should be enough.

Wonyoung grabbed the center, straining it with her fingers. The loose, sagging line shortened as she ran her fingers to both ends until it comfortably formed a straight line between the backs of their hands.

Why am I even doing this?

Like a thief in the night, Wonyoung left without making a sound. She quietly shut Eunbi's door, sighing before turning to her room.

"What were you doing in there?"

Wonyoung gasped, pressing her hand against her chest, "You scared me!!"

Hitomi crossed her arms, tapping her foot against the floor.

"I was just checking on the two," Wonyoung smiled. "Making sure everything was okay, you know?"

"You only say 'you know' when you're nervous," Hitomi remarked. "You're lying."

Wonyoung furrowed her eyebrows, "What?? I say that all the time."

"No, Ji Hoon says that all the time. You mimic him when you're nervous, hoping you can get out of sticky situations like he does," Hitomi argued.

"Okay!!" Wonyoung groaned. "I was just curious about Y/n ssi. I saw he was a sleep, looked at him and left."

"That's weird," Hitomi squinted.

Wonyoung rolled her eyes, "Thanks, Unnie."

Y/n rubbed his eyes sitting up while the drowsiness drained from his body. He turned to the opening door, eyeing Chaeyeon with sagged eyes.

"Oh, you're awake. Can you wake Hyewon unnie for me?" Chaeyeon asked. "Dinner's ready."

With a nod, Y/n gently shook the sleeping beauty, earning a groan.

"Dinner's ready."

Hyewon slid out of bed, yawning. She sluggishly trudged along the carpet and into the hallway before sitting herself in her chair.

Y/n set two plates on the table, one for Hyewon and one for himself, taking in the savory aroma of Chaeyeon's cooking.

Leave it to Chaeyeon to make something good.

With all members present, dinner proceeded as usual in Y/n's eyes. The girls talked amongst themselves about news and other miscellaneous topics, laughing as they do on screen.

"Hyewonie, is something wrong?" Eunbi asked.

Y/n glanced at the leader's frown, before turning to Hyewon. He watched her pick at her food, tilting his head.

"You're usually the first to finish eating. Are you not hungry?"

Hyewon remained silent, gaining the rest of the tables attention. The silent stares dug deep into Hyewon's skin, reminding her of the unamused gazes of the crowd.

She felt the glistening excitement drain from their eyes upon looking at her. The hateful comments she diligently read bit at her psyche, tearing her to shreds for every minute thing she did wrong.

Y/n's voice, the representation of all of her fans, dug deep into her unwilling ears until she could no longer contain her welling feelings.

Without saying a word, Hyewon stood from her seat, breaking the room's silence. She grabbed Y/n's wrist, dragging him into Eunbi's room to slip under the covers.

No matter how many times Y/n reached out to her, or Eunbi asked for the door to be unlocked, nothing resulted. Hyewon remained taciturn, and Y/n deemed the distance between Hyewon and the door too great to reach.

I don't want to be here anymore...