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"WE COME BEARING GIFTS," Aera announced as Dohyun pushed open the door leading to Siyoung's hotel room. Only half of the cast were in there, but every head turned toward the two entering. "Aurora!" Siyoung exclaimed happily upon seeing the girl. "Come in, you two. Sit down." Dohyun held the door for Aera to enter and she thanked him with a smile. "Why did you take your instagram post down? You two looked adorable." She noticed Kim Namhee sitting at the table, chewing on some potato chips in his hand. Go Minsi had just left the bathroom, the switch alerting the two she was in there.
She knew Dohyun had caught the gist considering he was looking on her phone with her when Jinx's message came through. She sighed as she took a seat on the bed right beside Siyoung. "It's a long story," she responded, to which Minsi laughed. "Everything is a long story if you make it that way." Dohyun's brows furrowed as he placed the drinks onto the table beside Namhee. "Our manager called one of my members to tell me to take down the photo because if I get into another scandal, the company will kick me out." Saying the words aloud finally made her feel the impact of her fear. Her hands joined together in her lap, nails scratching at each finger nervously.
"All of the scandals I were in were debunked. But since I keep getting wrong publicity, the company is probable scared that I'll ruin the group's image." Minsi plopped onto the bed on the other side of Aera and grabbed her hand. The action was enough to have moisture begin to grow within her eyes. "It isn't your fault," she stated in a stern tone. "You can't help that they've chosen you as a target." A tired smile graced the girl's lips. She rested her head on Minsi's shoulder, her other hand grasping Siyoung's. The three sat there for a moment, just letting Aera breathe. "Sometimes I wish I had never auditioned," she admitted.
And it was true, partially. Of course there were moments where she reveled in the luxuries of stardom. But fame and fortune had also came with a ton of loss. The loss of her parents, for one, though she figured it was probably for the best. "Everything happens for a reason," Dohyun stated, eyes locked on the black haired idol. "You'll come out of this stronger." She glanced toward him, cheeks red, eyes glossed over. The tired smile she wore was now more genuine. He smiled in return, one full of warmth and affection. It made her stomach swirl in weird ways. "Here."
He turned back to the bags that he had brought in, one full of packages of gummy bears and chocolate. He took one package of the gummy bears and turned back to her. "Really?" Minsi asked in astonishment. "You bought more?" A blush coated the girl's cheeks as she buried her face into Minsi's shoulder. "Yoonjung at most of mine," she argued defensively. "I did not!" No one had noticed the door opening or Yoonjung entering the room. Song Kang stood behind her, eyes wide. "Woah, what did I just walk into?" His tone was full of humor, but his face read pure shock. "Sure," Aera teased. "Three bags mysteriously end up empty in my trash can."
"Okay, okay. So I got a little carried away," Yoonjung finally confessed. She leaned against the wall next to the bed while the boys surrounded the table. "I brought chicken," Song Kang hummed, showing off the many take out boxes. "And I brought popcorn," Yoonjung added. Namhee looked toward the group. "I brought water. God knows we'll be needing it in the morning." A chorus of laughter filled the room. He wasn't wrong about some, though their plan wasn't exactly that they would drink until they pass out. Aera bounced on the bed, hands still intertwined with Siyoung and Minsi's. "The staff will probably have pain killers," Siyoung added matter-of-factly.
"Has anyone seen Jinwook oppa?" Yoonjung asked, already cracking open one of the water bottles. Everyone shook their heads. "He'll get here eventually," Namhee responded nonchalantly. "We should get everything set up. Like a place to sleep and where we'll be sitting." Siyoung agreed with a soft hum, squeezed Aera's hand, and stood up first. "Two people can share the bed. But the rest will have to sleep on the floor." Aera and Minsi stood from their place, hands still joined. "You should get the bed, unnie, since its your room."
Siyoung smiled over at the younger girl, almost proudly. Though their time together has been short, Aera had already made an impact on some of the cast. "You can share with me, then. Since you're so polite." Aera felt her face tingle. A shy expression captivated her round face, eyelashes batting against her cheeks. "I think I would be too nervous to sleep beside you, unnie," she admitted truthfully, shyly tucking her dark hair behind her ears. The change in her demeanor had struck everyone with curiosity. They all awaited her answer once Siyoung asked her simply, "why?"
"You're just so beautiful. I wouldn't be able to close my eyes." Minsi let out the girliest squeal upon hearing Aera's answer and quickly hid her face in her hands. A deep blush captivated the older female's face. "Y–Yah! You're making my heart pound faster!" she shouted suddenly, taking everyone in the room by surprise. The once tense atmosphere had finally dissolved into one of humor and comfort. And as the present cast began to mingle, their voices growing louder, in came their missing cast mates. Jinwook stood behind Gyuyoung and Sungcheol, all of their eyes wide.
"What did we miss?" he questioned.
—
rumi says!
big chapter, sort of. but yeah. it took me a while to finish this and really get it to where i wanted it to go. but i do love it and i really love everyone so far.
how are you guys liking it?
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