pretty | younghoon

cuatro

yoo jieun pov.
that feeling of riding someone's else car, largely because of its apparent luxurious model, is overwhelmingly loud. his vehicle smelled brand new despite his denial that it wasn't even a new car. i doubt this is an old car of his though.

i should be rehearsing for my introduction and not think about anything else. i mentally clear my throat and begin chanting my options in my head. 'my name is yoo jieun, nice to meet you. hey, i'm yoo jieun and i will do my best! hello there, my name-'

a hand is waving in front of my view, "hello princess peach, we're here already."

i let out the biggest breath i could ever imagine. i didn't realize it myself i've been almost holding it in, just like i almost forgot to ask siyeon to accompany me with sangyeon after eagerly getting inside his car.

you know what parents say, 'don't take candies from others, stranger danger alert'.

in this instance, this is siyeon's close family member but it is still someone i should watch out for in the meantime since i don't know him personally.

"oh my god- don't die on me jieun!" siyeon pushes my arm with a loving force.

"ouch, yeon-ah!"

"stop with the whining, let's get you out there."

siyeon further propels my body out of the car and towards the entrance of sangyeon's house. compared to siyeon's place that's literally right next door to mine, his house appeared to be more of a modern mansion. so freaking rich...

suddenly as of today, the definition of the humble award goes to siyeon and her parents, as all this time i thought she was just lucky being a little well-off. from today onwards i shall be nicer to you, siyeon.

"ladies first," before i knew it sangyeon is already letting us in while here i was at his doorstep being a nervous wreck.

"woah, so this is what you call leveling your house down? still looks pretty lavish to me." siyeon comments while walking around the enormous living room.

"come on, at least there's a huge gap between my parents' house and my own. don't you think so yoo jieun?" sangyeon faces me while pointing his question at me.

"oh y-yeah! i guess so..." my voice thinned badly at that moment, very embarrassing.

the male in front of me begins to chuckle at the sight of my tense state.

"obviously i know you have never seen my parents, to begin with, but i like your enthusiasm. this time, make sure to relax and just think of this as an ice breaker!" i nodded to his encouraging words while repeating them on my head.

"okay, i will try my best."

"no, you will DO your best, good luck jiji!" siyeon cheers on before instantly making herself comfortable on the nearest couch to watch the tv that stood in front of it. undoubtedly, she is adjusting pretty well for her first time visiting his house.

"now that she's out of the way, let's go ahead" i followed his steps soon after before we stop in front of a set of solid doors. i take in a quick breath before sangyeon grabs the handles to open the entry wide open.

there were no pairs of eyes looking our way as we walked in, especially seeing as they were all hooked up playing a game on (assuming it is theirs) their computers. nevertheless, i could only think about hiding my frame behind sangyeon's figure while walking closer to them.

"guys, attention!"

i was quick to notice the room is very much colorful and cheerier compared to the rest of the house. the colored LED lights, the tv screens, the gaming consoles, the snacks left on the dining table, the tremendous amount of physical games, the various wall posters, and the highly advanced gaming pcs that top the gaming house look. they even have a grand loft i couldn't see from down here, particularly as it had curtains to hide its interior. 

sangyeon clears his throat in an attempt to wake me up. "jieun, your turn."

"ah yes, hello there-" i paused midway while scanning the room filled with surprisingly good-looking guys. i seemed to have forgotten about their looks that now i'm even more nervous than before knowing i'm facing the embodiment of celebrities.

"introducing your girlfriend to us and not your parents?" a voice filled in through the silence of mine. due to the additional study i did a few days ago i know that was hwall who was speaking; former hwall since he goes by his real name now.

i've been told ahead of time that i would be getting a hostile audience of males who would doubt my seriousness in gaming. misogynistic much.

"quiet down hyunjun, i made it clear that today we will meet our next candidate didn't i?"

"we never got the memo she's a girl though," a guy with golden-brown hair locks comments in such a guiltless manner, whereas i felt targeted by the remark.

from the stalking- i mean from the study i did, i am quite knowledgeable of his identity. his name is jaehyun, mostly known as hyunjae on all of his social media platforms.

"who said girls are not allowed? let's just treat her the way we've treated each other when choosing members alright?" sangyeon replies with an emphasis of slight irritation on each of his words before turning to me with a caring tone. "go ahead and take a seat jieun."

i nod his way before taking a seat on one of the couches near the table which was filled with unfinished drinks and snacks, which was... an eyesore to look at.

sangyeon is quick to chuckle in the least sarcastically way, "i'm sure you guys didn't forget to clean up and just forgot we had a guest." he clears his throat forcefully after noticing they all went back to their business.

everybody looks up before hesitantly taking off their headsets and slowly turning their desk chairs around towards my way.

"let me guess," sangyeon sighs while rubbing one of his temples, "younghoon never gave you guys the materials i wanted you to review right?"

"i mean he said he already looked through them..." i recognized juyeon's voice, reminding me he is blood-related to hyunjae. "he didn't seem to be satisfied so he didn't think it was necessary to... well i'm not trying to be prejudiced here but if younghoon doesn't think they're that great it must mean he's right."

"younghoon that little-"

"didn't you see your messages?" someone abruptly intervenes while walking in through the doors i previously came through. "i made sure to tell you ahead of time but since she's already here we could go ahead and see what she's competent of."

i can confidently say this new voice and face that just showed up is younghoon, which concludes my studying.

aghh they're all so handsome now that the five of them are together.

"ah sorry," i absentmindedly apologized, they have no clue i was admiring their existence. "i'm yoo jieun, i will do my best!" i gave my fullest 90-degree bow hoping that the cascades of my hair would hide my blushing ears. my introduction could've been better than this.

"well then, how about you guys introduce yourselves to her?" sangyeon carefully proceeds as a means to hide the silence in the air.

there's no need to introduce themselves when i stalked their accounts but i'm all ears now.

author's note.
[ ❤︎ . . . ] what rae wants to say

i'm not abandoning this story
i'm just slow at updating x_x

gaming house = "a cooperative living arrangement where several players of video games, usually professional esports players, live in the same residence."