All about Kazujin

Between you, me, and the lamppost.

Silence reigns in the HYBE building tonight. Not many walk the halls during these early hours, for (mostly) everyone had already gone home, off to rest after a tough day of maintaining the unrealistic standards of the entertainment industry. They live and they learn, anyway. Yet it's Huh Yunjin who stays, the Huh Yunjin who strives to be better, even if her ears fill with the sweet nothings of this reality. And she fears, for of course she does. She fears much, she fears many, and especially so, she's fearful .

Though she tries. She won't stop until she's met with perfection, or at least, the most attainable version of it, anyway. So in the booth she stands: headphones on, mic tested, and her fatigued eyes glued to the lyrics scribbled on her notebook. And she tries, but with each strike through her words, she only gets more consumed by the idea of falling from her pedestal.

"Yun?" No amount of foam and no prestigious headset could ever completely conceal the sound of Nakamura Kazuha, her... in ways more than one, friend.

"Hm? What's up, Zuha?" She etches a smile onto her face, one she exerts with whatever energy she has left.

The Japanese girl sighs, her eyes glancing at the clock ever so nearby. "Yunjin, do you know what time it is? Aren't you supposed to head home by now?"

It wasn't like Yunjin had anywhere to go, anyway.

"Really? I guess-," she looks down to her notebook and crosses through another lyric, changing up a few words, before replying, "I guess my phone's clock was too slow, huh?"

"Yunjin."

"Y-yeah?" She holds back a yawn by clenching her jaw, still not ready to admit defeat.

Kazuha might just be one of the only people to see through Yunjin's crafted mirage. To see, and to know, that behind that brave and bold bearing, lies a little girl waiting to be free. Free from the standards, free from the shackles that held her back from being who she really wanted.

"Let's have some dinner. I'm assuming you haven't left this booth since the sun rose, have you?" And she doesn't need a nod to know that her suspicions were right. "Come on, step out. I wanna spend some time with you. Please? Would that hurt anyone?"

Clink! The door rings the bell right open, the aroma of microwaved food, the sound of its beeping as a result, both Kazuha and Yunjin know that they've arrived at their second favourite place: the convenience store.

Yunjin scrutinises the shelves, her mind in wild consideration over cup noodles. Well, it's late at night; so spicy noodles would wake us up, right? But cheesy noodles, they'd probably help us sleep better. Is that even how it works? Questions pile up on each other, until her mind can only pause to process it all. On the other hand, Kazuha yanks two bowls off and heads for the counter.

"The usual, Kazoo and Jen?" The cashier calls, the sound of it already coaxes a smile.

"I thought we talked about calling me after a damn instrument," coins clink and bills slip onto the countertop. Kazuha doesn't spare a second to think about how much money she gave. Partly because she knows her worth as a celebrity, and partly because she values her energy more than using it up on a little thought.