𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑, 𝐭𝐱𝐭

thoughts

countless pairs of eyes trailed after the girl wherever she went. it wasn't everyday the ono misaki, leader of long-awaited, unfortunately disbanded group CØSMIC returned to being an ordinary trainee— yet here the trainees all were.

the first days had been weird for the multitude of teenagers simply working to chase their dreams— they were practically in the presence of a celebrity.

which is why they'd all unanimously decided to keep their distance from the girl, afraid they'd somehow embarrass themselves or make her uncomfortable, leaving her to practice and relearn the steps all by herself.

Misaki couldn't lie— it frustrated her. feeling like she had no one, the only person she could go to busy in her office, filling out paperwork and assisting in making plans for whatever group was coming out next. the girl went with Ara as frequently as she could, always having to be reminded she had work to get back to.

the thought of quitting did cross her mind once or twice— but she knew she had four little angels sitting around her at all times, ready to kick her ass if she were to actually go through with it.

so for them, she had to stay.

the deadline for the group's final lineup was coming awfully quick, and while the five boys felt so right together, Ara felt as if there was something missing.

the girl'd been given time off after the accident, the company not hesitant to give her a chance to help take care of the girl, helping her feel at home as well as dealing with the losses herself.

the five girls held such a special place in Baek Ara's heart— they filled the roles of being the little sister's she never had, yet always wanted. though they could be a bit much at times, they were hers. and she was always determined to protect them, to keep them together.

and when she'd failed at her own mission, her world came crashing down. the sky fell to a million pieces the second she'd received the call from YulJe that night, the call that let her know two of her five girls were gone, one of her best friends was unconscious, and the other two were in critical conditions.

she didn't get a blink of sleep that night— unable to get herself to do, really, anything for the next forty eight hours. the world had seemed to come to a pause, everything had been going so great. why them?

the question refused to leave her mind for weeks. she struggled to come to a conclusion even during the days spent rewrapping Misaki's head bandages, instead distracting herself by reassuring the Ono girl she'd done nothing wrong.

that was another thing she'd to deal with. the damage to her brain had been hefty, messing with the girl's usually closeted emotions— allowing her to finally let them loose.

Ara doesn't think she'd ever seen someone cry as much as she saw Misaki cry the week after she was released from the hospital. the thoughts of being taken to a psych ward were enough to make Misaki supress the pools of emotions she never seemed to stop feeling, and when she left, the chances of that happening reduced to zero.

so did her usually thick walls.

the girl's personality changed— which was likely to happen. the smile she wore wasn't as genuine as it'd always been, since the first day the pair met.

the force she'd exert to show the expression physically hurt Ara's heart— the injury had done so much to her baby sister. she often wondered if they'd ever wear off, or if this would be her, for good.

sometime, 2018

JiSu approached his fellow manager friend, wondering if she'd picked up their takeout for later.

"Ara~" he called out as he walked into the girl's office, plopping himself down on her couch. "whatcha doin~"

"sh." she somewhat snapped, holding up a hand, signalling him to stop. he dramatically paused his next sentence, his mouth hanging open as he blinked a few times. "oh you did not just-"

"yes i did now didn't i say sh?" she rapidly spit out, using the dialect he'd rarely ever heard coming from the girl— even if they had known eachother for upwards of seven years.

the male silently snickered in amusement before his eyes fell on the paper she was so focused on, finally realizing what she was doing.

six of the certified manager candidates had been pulled into BangPD's office several days before— confirming they'd all be placed as the upcoming group's managing team.

six managers meant six members— this fact had Ara on the edge all day.

not only would she possibly be leaving Misaki, she didn't have a clue at who the sixth member of this lineup would be.

could it be the boy who was on his second year of training— he did get along with the boys well, but could he fit the concept? was he even ready?

they'd been given an age range to consider for the group— but that wasn't of much help, either. there were plenty of considerable options to fill the surprise sixth spot, but who would take it in the end?

JiSu softly chuckled as he observed Ara's body language— immediately able to sense how incredibly stressed out the younger girl was.

he stepped behind her, rolling up her shoulders before beginning to give her a massage. Ara couldn't refuse the gesture— she had been sitting in an awfully uncomfortable posture for the past few hours.

"y'know, if you checked the email PD sent out an hour ago instead of having your nose deep into the trainee roster, you'd know the team is having a meeting to discuss the final lineup,"

Ara's eyes opened, locking with the male's. they maintained the contact for a moment, the girl simply gathering her thoughts, thinking if bringing Misaki up would be a good idea.

her worries were quickly washed away, as her best friend of seven years was able to read her like an opened book.

"you're worried about Mi, aren't you?"

Ara's glossy eyes spoke the words her throat wouldn't let her speak.

JiSu softly smiled, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on the girl's head. "i am too.

but hey, what if she joins the lineup?"

♡♡♡♡♡♡, 完成!
+ waa development! next parts
will actually feature mi and the boys
LOLLLL finally