Royal Colors (OPEN APPLY FIC)

Chapter 59: OG Lineup Boys' Touching Talks With Their Crushes

Languages:
Korean - Normal Text
English - Bolded
Chinese - Bolded & Slanted
Japanese - Slanted
Thai - Bolded, Slanted, Underlined
Other - Underlined

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-Wednesday, June 7, 2023~6:20PM-

~James' POV~

It was one of our first parties in the new gym, something I still needed to get used to so it made me a little anxious. But I did my best to keep a smile.

"I can't believe we're celebrating our 5th birthday right now." I heard Chase say as I was wandering around.

"5th for you." Evil replied. "Not all of us have had the luxury of being around as long."

I heard Chase scoff and it made me grin as I knew the kid would never allow someone to talk to him like that.

"Trust me, it's not all rainbows and butterflies." Chase said. "I've only been in two out of the four boy groups."

"Must be nice." Taeyong chipped in. "Some of us haven't even gotten one."

I sighed and walked away before I could listen to more. I found myself exiting the gym and walking outside to get some fresh air. I took a seat on the sidewalk, leaning my back against the building wall. Before I knew it, someone had joined me.

"Hey oppa, is everything okay?" I looked up to see Scout.

I nodded. "Just needed some fresh air."

"Mind if I join you?" Scout asked. She had such a kind smile, how could I refuse?

I shook my head and she sat down beside me. We sat in silence for a moment then she laid her head on my shoulder. "You want to tell me what's bothering you?"

I wasn't the type to talk about those things but with her, she knew how to get it out of me.

"Do you think RC is growing too fast?" I asked, looking out at the busy street as I did so, imagining there were city lights instead.

"Well, we have over fifty members." Scout said. "It can be unimaginable for some."

I sighed and looked down. Unimaginable for members to live out their dreams.

"What are you thinking about, oppa?" Scout asked, lifting her head to look at me. She grabbed my hand that was resting on my knee.

I looked at her. "I don't think many members are happy. Five years and some have only been in one group."

"Yes, I know." Scout nodded, as she was one of those people. "But if people are unhappy, they can leave."

I shook my head. "Imagine going that long without a comeback. I understand we are a large group, but maybe we're too large, ya know? We don't have comebacks fast enough either. But I don't want people to leave. This is their chance at their dream, and for a lot of our members, it's their last chance, myself included."

Scout squeezed my hand. "Well if you can hold out, so can they. You haven't been in an RC group since the debut, yet you are always so positive and still smiling. You are there for everyone else and you live vicariously through them, until your time comes which I'm sure will be soon."

"It's not just about me." I shook my head. "It's about everyone. I guess I just feel bad."

Scout sighed. "I know you want everyone to be happy, but that won't ever happen. Not with fifty plus members. But honestly, oppa, they are happy because they have this chance. Trust me, many people know what they are getting themselves into when they join RC. You wouldn't know because you were part of the first lineup, but Pinky warns us about all of the disadvantages, yet we still join because it's our chance at our dream. And like you said, for some of us, most of us, it's our last chance. The fact that we are still growing, that people still join, means we're doing something right. And you know Pinky, she's understanding about everything. If someone wants to leave, they can."