No F.U.N | Choi Seungcheol

28.

I ::

"Yuri."

Soft black hair slipped down her shoulders as she turned at the sound of her name. Her pale face reflected her pristine features in the moonlight, her plush pink lips and gentle gaze captivating anyone who'd dare look. Eventually, her doe eyes fell upon the caller. It was dark with the lights switched off and hard to make out the figure of the person approaching her but Yuri could recognise that voice anywhere. After all, it had become a guiding voice of sorts in these last couple of months.

"Yes, mother." A prompt answer followed, "Did you call me?" Her weak voice rang sweetly in the empty recording room. Yuri greeted the lady amicably as she neared her position.

Yuri's mother roughly scanned her daughter, the familiar silhouette that had successfully thinned over time. "What are you doing so late into the night?" She asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice, "You're not hiding a phone to secretly contact anyone are you?" She warned, hastily adding reason to her words, "It's not good for you to get distracted so close to the comeback."

"No, of course not!" Yuri shook her head repeatedly to oppose the accusation. She hadn't seen the ghost of her phone ever since her mother had interfered. The only time she got to touch a smartphone was when she was asked to click selfies or go live. Her innocent eyes twinkled denying any naught, "I wouldn't dare."

"Hmm," Her mother looked around the room momentarily. It had been a difficult task, bringing a rabid dog like Yuri under control. At first, Yuri would snipe at her mother with clever remarks, not allowing any room for discussion. Yuri had grown up independent after all. Tying down that autonomous spirit of hers had been a challenge but eventually, she had succumbed.

"Alright." The woman nodded satisfactorily when she found no hidden object in the studio. Yuri was obedient but it was hard to completely place all her worries aside, "Go back and get some rest. I've placed your daily tea in your room. Make sure to drink it all before you sleep, alright?"

Yuri agreed, heading over to the door immediately. She glanced at her mother from the corner of her eyes, thinking and pausing as she faced the woman. In a deliberate sugary voice, Yuri smiled, "Yes mother."

"You know I'm only doing this for you, yes?" Her mother spoke suddenly, explaining her actions, stopping Yuri in her tracks with her hold on Yuri's arm. It was odd after all. Yuri had gotten too compliant in the past few days. The woman had successfully managed to distance her from the Lee family. Her group members too had fallen out of favour after they had picked a fight, demanding answers for her actions. They were only trying to express care, those three but Yuri's mother made sure it never reached her.

Distrust and pride were her key weapons. "Darling, listen to me carefully," Yuri's mother cajoled gently, pushing a hair out of her daughter's face, "No one will ever truly understand you as I do." She spoke, her voice dripping with honeyed manipulation, "Your brother, your friends, that boy you were dating—they're all just waiting to betray you. People are inherently selfish, my dear. Don't forget. They'll demand your attention, your loyalty, but they'll never appreciate your brilliance as I do. They'll only drag you down, tarnish your shine with their petty desires. They'll use you just the way your father did us and then discard you when time permits."

Her mother ran down the same old sob story that she mentioned every day. Yuri's father was not a good man and it was only circumstance that had separated them like this. But now, Yuri's mother was back and she would support her daughter with all that she could not before.

"Being a star means rising above the petty concerns of others," she continued, her tone coaxing and persuasive. "You mustn't let anyone distract you from your path. They'll try to manipulate you, to make you doubt yourself, but you mustn't let them. You are destined for greatness, my dear, and I'm the only one who truly sees that. Don't you want to stand on a stage with sold-out stadiums? Trust me, and together, we'll make it a reality."