STRAY KIDS: THE 9TH MEMBER

Chapter 25

*English in Bold, Korean in Normal*

*Chan POV*

Jeongin was clearly very distant. He was amazing during practice, giving it his all, but as soon as it was over, he'd quickly gather his things and head back to the dorms. I tried to corner his multiple times to no avail. He managed to slip my grasp every time- not just me, even the others.

I figured it was time to talk to Aera. We had both been so busy with leading our groups, we hadn't been able to talk at all. Even a simple hello in the corridors was rushed.

"Ayo! I'm so sorry but I'm probably super busy right now....or I'm ignoring you. Regardless, please leave your message after the beep." Came the voicemail. And then in Korean was the same thing.

"Hey Ri. Call me back when you can please, I need your advice."

I switched my phone off and went to my room to shower. Jihoon hadn't been back in a while due to working on his debut movie, which I was super excited about. Everyone seemed to be debuting around the same time and it was so amazing yet stressful.

I had just taken a shower when I heard a knock at my door. I got up and checked who it was through the peephole. Minho stood there with his head down, looking a little upset.

"Minho-Yah. You alright there?" I asked, opening the door.

"Not really Hyung. Can I talk to you..."

I nodded and let the boy in.

"What's going on?"

We both sat opposite each other on my bed.

"Hyung, why did you choose me? I'd barely been here for two weeks! There are so many other candi-"

"I'm gonna stop you. I chose you because I could see how hardworking, talented and hilarious you are. Yes there are many candidates out there, but no one has the same experience or personality like you. You're unique. You're talented. You're Lee Minho. What more do I need to say?" I smiled and patted his shoulder.

He smiled shyly and thanked me.

"Is that all?" I scanned his face to see if he was hiding anything else.

"No. Thank you Hyung."

"Of course. Don't ever doubt yourself. I mean come on man, you danced as back up for BTS! That's amazing experience!"

Minho nodded, but I felt as though he wasn't completely convinced. I decided to leave him be, I couldn't think of anything else to tell him and he needed to find his self worth.

Shortly after Minho left, I got a FaceTime call from Dia and I happily replied and chatted to her about everything. We didn't talk for long, it was late and I had an early morning.

We only had two more days u til the showcase and I needed everyone to be on the same page.

*3rd Eye*

Jihoon's heart skipped a beat when he saw Aera. With Bambam? That didn't matter. He could probably pull her aside for a few minutes-

No.

No he couldn't.

Because they were practically glued to one another now. He turned on his heel and left, tears in his eyes.

"Bomi Noona." He cried into the phone.

"Jihoon? What's wrong?" Bomi's worried voice came through.

"She's taken." 

Word Count: 557

A/N: As you can tell, I enjoy torturing my characters 😌✨

-Aria 💜