"Yeah, I'm on my way," Aerin muttered into her phone, her cousin Jihoon's frantic tone still ringing in her ears.
"It'll be fine. Don't overthink it," he assured, though his clipped tone suggested he didn't believe it himself.
"Uh-huh, sure, whatever you say, Woozers." She smirked, knowing the nickname would get under his skin.
There was a pause, then a low grunt from his end of the line. "You're impossible," he hissed before abruptly hanging up.
"Guess Mr. Grump Grump finally had enough," she chuckled, tossing her phone onto her bed. With a sigh, she turned back to her closet, staring at the chaos of fabrics and colors. After thirty wasted minutes of "rotting", and her hair now slightly less damp, she forced herself to pick something.
"Alright, Rin, focus," she said, psyching herself up. Jihoon was lucky she didn't have a packed schedule today, though she suspected he'd timed this favor on purpose.
As she slipped on her chosen outfit, a stylish yet practical ensemble, she caught herself in the mirror, making a ridiculous number of poses to confirm she looked presentable.
"Okay, calm down. You're not here to impress anyone," she muttered, but her heart skipped at the thought of who she might encounter. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and bolted for the door.
. . .
The sheer size of the building was enough to make her falter.
"Holy shit..." Aerin stopped herself, craning her neck to take in the sleek, glass-paneled tower. This is a lot, she thought, feeling distinctly out of place. Sure she trained in a rather established company and had been forced to visit similar buildings for her pre-debut schedules or workshops, but nowhere she'd ever been to was as nice as this.
As she approached the reception desk, her fingers itched to pull out her phone—a convenient prop to feign confidence. Instead, she forced herself to step forward. "Hi, um, could you point me to the Seventeen waiting room?" she asked, her voice a little too soft.
The receptionist's warm smile caught her off guard. "Are you Ms. Kang Aerin?"
"Oh, uh... yeah?" She blinked in surprise, silently thanking Jihoon for actually following through and notifying the staff.
"Right this way." The woman gestured for her to follow, and Aerin tried not to cringe at the formality. She wasn't anyone important, but it seemed easier to just go along with it.
When she finally reached the door she double checking the silver placard. She was undoubtedly at the right room, but for some reason her anxiety decided to run wild. After a deep breaths she brought her hand up and hesitantly knocked. The door opened shortly after and Aerin found herself face-to-face with an unnervingly tall, strikingly handsome man whose expression shifted from surprise to mild suspicion. She froze, momentarily caught in the intensity of his gaze.
"Uh, hi. I'm here to drop something off for Woo—"
"Rin!" Jihoon's familiar voice broke the tension, and Aerin exhaled in relief. She leaned around the man blocking the doorway to spot her cousin lounging at a table.
"Hey, Ji," she greeted, sliding past the tall stranger with an awkward bow. She kept her eyes firmly on the floor, avoiding the curious stares of the other men and staff in the room.
She tossed a small flash drive to Jihoon, who caught it with ease. "You're lucky I decided to waste my perfectly free day on this," she said, her voice dripping with mock irritation.
"Yeah, yeah, you're a saint," Jihoon replied with a grin.
Their "bickering" was interrupted by a loud, deliberate cough. Aerin turned to see the about 12 other men starring at her, a few staff scattered around were pretending not to look as well. They looked like idols to Aerin, and immediately registered them as members of Seventeen. Each was seemingly doing their own thing, but now entirely paused after her entrance.
"Who's she?" one of them asked, stepping forward with an air of authority.
Before Aerin could stammer out a response, Jihoon intervened. "This is Aerin. She's a producer."
Her eyes widened slightly as murmurs rippled through the group. She hadn't expected Jihoon to advertise her credentials, but there was no backing out now.
"Wait, you're the Aerin? The one who helped with 'Still Lonely' and 'Lean on Me'?" one of them exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement.
"... yeah?" Aerin offered a sheepish smile.
"You're amazing!" the same member gushed, and she could feel the weight of their attention like a spotlight.
"Thanks," she muttered, casting a desperate look at Jihoon, who was thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.
Before she could retreat, another member—the tall one who had opened the door—stepped closer. There was something familiar about him, though she couldn't quite place it. She definitely didn't know him or anything, buts something about the way he walked and his stature overall felt familiar.
"You should stay and watch our rehearsal," he said, his tone even but his gaze intent.
Aerin hesitated. Looking around, the suggestion seemed to surprise the other members as much as it did her. Against her better judgment, she found herself nodding. "Sure, I have a little time."
As the performance began, Aerin sat on the couch, trying to remain invisible amongst the remaining staff either packing up or simply waiting. But her eyes couldn't leave the screen. Their energy, synchronization, and charisma were magnetic. Despite her reservations, she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride for Jihoon.
He was her cousin after all, and watching him be so in his element was rather special for Aerin.
Her phone's alarm jolted her out of her ponders, reminding her of her next appointment. The life of a trainee, or rather, a trainee set to soon debut was more hectic than one could expect. No day was considered "free" and each hour of each day was spent in preparation. In fact, even having enough time to visit Jihoon and return the hard drive was extremely rare.
Luckily, the performance ended a few seconds ago, prompting her to quietly 4 her belongings before attempting to inconspicuously slip out of the waiting room, blending into the crowd of staff. Aerin sighed, emotions still whirling inside of her as she walked. Suddenly, a firm hand caught her wrist.
She turned, ready to deliver a sharp retort, but froze when she saw the same tall member from before. His gaze was piercing under his perfectly wispy bangs, his expression unreadable.
He sighed, "What exactly is your relationship with Jihoon?"
