Entranced

Hidden Intentions

As Hyejeong trudged out of the tent, walking along the curved surface, she made out a trio not too far away. It was Kyung and Zico.

She stopped walking, darting backwards and hiding behind the tent. Her eyebrows furrowed. Should she interrupt?

None of them seemed to have noticed her.

She craned her neck and peered at them.

But Zico seemed agitated. He wasn't even looking at Kyung, who was speaking in a low voice. Every now and then Zico would roll his eyes at him like he was a rebellious teenager.

Hyejeong didn't like him. She felt the animosity that radiated off him in waves when he looked at her, and she could tell that she wasn't going to enjoy working with him. She hoped not to, considering the fact that he didn't look keen on working with her either.

"Miss Eun!" someone called behind her, and Hyejeong jumped, turning around with a gasp. Her hand fluttered over her chest.

It was Taeha, and he was smiling as he walked to her.

She let out a smile back at him, surprising herself. Somehow she felt at ease with him, even though they barely knew each other. The thought suddenly made her flustered, and she bit her lip, willing her cheeks to not turn pink.

He stopped in front of her. "Where are you headed?" he asked. He adjusted his glasses and squinted as the sunlight shone at his eyes. Maybe he should get contacts, he suggested to himself. His glasses were slipping off his nose easily these days.

He peered at her, taking in her almost doll-like appearance. She looked like she'd fit in, except she seemed a little nervous. This was the manager? He would have thought it was an imposing, aggressive guy who would control them or something, not a sweet-faced bundle of nerves.

Hyejeong randomly gestured behind her. "I'm actually going to find Kyung-ssi and Taewoon-ssi," she told him, "But Taewoon is missing and Kyung's with Zico right now...I don't want to interrupt or anything."

"Ah," he said.

There was a moment of silence between them. Taeha peeked through his hair at her. She was looking at her feet, biting her lip, her hands playing with the coat on her arm.

Talk about awkward.

He tried to find something to say. At the rate they were going, her with her formalities and him being the nerdy introvert, they weren't going to go anywhere.

"Well," he carried on, "Maybe they'll show you around. They being the two hyungs." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "About earlier, with Zico," he said, looking nervous, hoping she would understand, "Well...he's always been like that. It's got nothing to do with you whatsoever. I hope you're alright."

Hyejeong shrugged. "I was shocked," she said bluntly to him, and he winced.

"Zico kinda has that effect on people," he said weakly.

She gave him a frown, and bit her lip again. Taeha willed himself not to reach out and touch it; she was going to draw blood at the rate she was going.

Oh Taeha, what is wrong with you?

She was oblivious to his thoughts. "But it isn't your fault or anything," she added, "Besides...I'm going to have to find a way to deal with him in the future, so..." she shrugged again.

Taeha grinned at her. "You looked like you just wanted to run out of there earlier, and I was so worried. I was about to go to you when Taewoon-hyung arrived," he told her, making her cheeks warm, "Only he knows how to handle Zico. Everyone else is just..." he threw up his hands.