𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐂𝐊 | 𝘩𝘸𝘤

𝙫𝙞.

𝘃𝗶. 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿

One of the best parts that came with being an idol had to be the fact that you get paid for being pretty. During his youth, Hansol never really saw himself as handsome let alone handsome enough to just stand in front of a white backdrop and have people immediately fawn over for him.

This special power of his was something that delighted Nabi. During their conversation, she had noticed his awkwardness and was contemplating whether his comfort level in front of cameras would be enough. Sure he was an idol but when the girl picked Hansol she chose based on look and vibes, not bothering to monitor his performances or behind-the-scenes clips.

Her team full of K-pop stans had reassured her many times before that Vernon was going to be perfect—luckily they were right.

"You're doing amazing!" Her enthusiasm caused the idol to look in Nabi's direction, finally noticing her presence. Unexpectedly, Hansol was actually quite good during photoshoots, immersing himself fully—sometimes too much.

He glanced in her direction and gave the girl a small wave. Looking to the photographer for permission, he made his way off the set and towards Nabi who stood leaning on a beam with her arms crossed.

Hansol smiled. "I didn't know you would be here?"

The woman across from him let out an amused giggle. "Well, I did say that I'd see you at the photoshoot last time." The lack of thought process made the already awkward Hansol struggle to even make eye contact. He truthfully hoped she would show up and monitor him though the boy knew that sometimes work called and a mere farewell wasn't exactly a promise.

Nabi chuckled at Hansol who resulted in crossing his arms and staring toward the ground. "You seriously look amazing man." She complimented, succeeding in luring the boy's eyes to her own.

"Dropping the honorifics already?" He teased.

"Wait I'm older than you right?" The lean in both of their stances increased as did the comfort in the conversation. Sounds of bustling staff members starting their lunch break soon melted into silence.

Hansol furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm 25." Nabi's jaw immediately dropped.

"Oh my god wait I'm 23." The shock was evident in her face though her voice remained relatively calm. The boy across from Nabi laughed lightly, enjoying her perfuse apologies.

He held on to her shoulders in an attempt to stop her continuous bowing. "Hey, it's alright I'm serious don't worry about it." Nabi wanted to calm down but just as she had started regaining her composure she noticed the extremely small distance between them. She wasn't one for cliché love tropes but c'mon Hansol was handsome as hell, anyone could see that.

A yell from the photographer alerted the two who stood only 30 feet away from him. "You guys can check how the photos are looking so far if you want!" The idol sneaked a glance at Nabi who had a determined and excited look in her eyes.

As much as she hated her job, she did enjoy monitoring things like photoshoots or watching runways. Maybe it was the satisfaction of her hard work paying off or just the fact that she was getting paid to do nothing.

Hansol in contrast wasn't too fond of monitoring himself. He genuinely cringed looking at himself trying to be hot, especially in older videos or photos. That honestly was one of the worst parts of his profession that no one seemed to talk about.

Looking to his left he noticed Nabi gazing at the photos with a smile. She snapped a few pictures of the screen with her phone and Hansol didn't know what came over him but he felt a tease brewing.

"Saving some to look at later?" The sly smirk on his face was masking his internal cringe and urge to yell at himself.

Nabi chuckled in amusement, patting Hansol's shoulders. "Honestly? Yeah, not gonna lie. You got a nice jawline dude."

Hansol burst out laughing at the remark that was completely unexpected. The boy had never really met someone so forward during his time working in the industry and careless enough about her backstage image. A public image was never truly the entirety of a person's personality. Most were the complete opposite behind the scenes meaning that you could never know who to really trust with secrets or even just any sign of vulnerability. For Nabi to pretty much flirt with an idol so openly was gutsy. She didn't know what rumors Hansol could spread if he truly wanted to.

He looked back at the girl who had just walked past him, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Wait!" Nabi immediately turned almost like she had expected his call. A smirk was placed on her face as she raised her eyebrow in expectance.

"You mind sending me those pictures? The monitor turned off before I could snap any good ones. " Hansol knew that the excuse was stupid but he hoped that his styling and visuals hadn't made it seem so cringe.

Nabi chuckled, walking towards the rapper as she simultaneously fished out her phone from her back pocket. "You're funny you know? If you wanted my number you could've asked." Her laugh still hadn't ceased by the time she flipped her phone over to show Hansol her phone number.

Instead of beginning to laugh along with her, the boy's head tilted in confusion upon seeing the screen. He looked up at Nabi. "I thought your name was Nabi? It says Natalia here?" The boy pointed out the name Nabi had set for herself as an automatic contact name, his eyes asking for an answer.

"Oh yeah. I mean my birth name is Natalia since I lived in New York when I was younger but when I moved here I started using the Korean name my parents gave me." Hansol assumed that she had given the explanation thousands of times before seeing as the words flowed off her tongue like muscle memory.

Suddenly the boy's face lit up in surprise. "Wait you're from New York too?" He questioned, seeming more engaged at the mention of his hometown.

"Yeah! Wow oh my god, this is so cool. Haven't met another New Yorker since moving here." Her accent very much resembled his although she had a bit more fluidity to her voice, likely because of her elongated duration in the city and country overall.

"Really? I swear I collect them like Pokemon. I can maybe set up a hangout and invite some of my other New Yorker friends." It was clear that their shared childhood experience had drastically livened the mood and relationship the two shared. Hansol had now become much more excited as the conversation progressed. He even made the first move to plan a get-together, something he NEVER did. Oh his members would go into a coma every single time he interacted with Nabi, wouldn't they?

A smile grew on the girl's face. "That would actually be great!" Glancing towards the clock placed on the wall to her left she noticed that their fun interaction would have to be cut short. She didn't exactly say anything but based on her facial expression, Hansol could infer what she was thinking.

Checking the hour on his phone as a sign of reassurance, he sent Nabi a smile. "Text you later, Natalia."