flutedrum | woosan ✓

21

It was the day of the recording. Damn, time surely did fly fast. But it was so exciting for everyone. AURORA was already hella excited, they woke up saying WONDERLAND's names. And let's not forget WONDERLAND, who fell asleep reciting the fact they're meeting AURORA the next day.

In conclusion, in just a small amount of time, the groups had gotten so close they couldn't let go of each other anymore. They wanted the other by their sides 24/7. They never wanted to leave the other. And the fact they were prevented from seeing each other was what hurt the most.

The day of recording had finally arrived, but it passed quicker than anyone had expected. Yunho, San, and Yeosang had already wrapped up their sessions earlier and left with their manager to who knows where, leaving just Hongjoong and the members of AURORA in the studio.

The atmosphere had been tense all day, the excitement of finally being in the same space tinged with an underlying sense of urgency. AURORA's members were trying to act natural, but the weight of the situation wasn't lost on them. They hadn't seen WONDERLAND in days, and though the recording day was meant to be a reunion of sorts, they had hardly shared any time with the group.

Wooyoung sat at the edge of the studio couch, bouncing his leg nervously as he kept glancing toward the door. "Where are they even taking Yunho and the others?" he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. "This was supposed to be our chance to talk."

Seonghwa, who had been sitting next to him, gave him a light nudge. "Focus on the recording. Please. For now."

Mingi let out a sigh, resting his head against the wall. "I thought today would be different. I mean, we're in the same building and everything..."

"Alright, Jongho, you're up first!" someone's exclaiming voice was heard.

That voice—it commanded the room with a presence that was both authoritative and unfamiliar. It was the voice of a leader, but not their leader. It resonated with an unsettling calm, soothing yet foreign to everyone except Seonghwa. The others could feel its weight in the air, the way it seemed to control the space without even trying. Jongho immediately flinched in his seat and started walking right away. It was funny to watch, but not something that could make the others laugh. At least not in this situation.

Wooyoung shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the tension in the room creeping into his chest. This was the voice of someone used to leading, to guiding people toward a shared goal. Yet, it wasn't their voice. It wasn't the one they had grown to trust. It was Hongjoong's.

And somehow, that made everything feel wrong.

They all knew who Hongjoong was. His reputation preceded him—an efficient leader, a perfectionist. But hearing him in their space, leading them in this moment, felt like a breach of something sacred. It was a reminder that as much as they were working together, they were still separate, still divided by unspoken barriers.

Wooyoung's gaze shifted to Seonghwa, and what he saw nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. Seonghwa's eyes, usually so composed, were now alight with a spark that hadn't been there before. The moment Hongjoong's voice filled the room, Seonghwa's face lit up with a grin so wide it made Wooyoung's heart clench. Adorable wasn't even the word for it. It was something more than that, something pure and sweet in a way that almost hurt to witness. They seemed like a couple who had been separated for years, only to reunite now. The energy between them was magnetic, as if nothing else mattered but the connection they shared.

Wooyoung couldn't help but feel a tug of warmth at the sight. It was as though he was witnessing something sacred—a kind of happiness that was rare and all-consuming. For a second, it made everything else melt away. The tension, the unspoken rules, the pressure of their circumstances—it all seemed to blur as he watched Seonghwa beam at Hongjoong.

"Your turn, Mingi." Hongjoong's voice was heard again. Wait what, Jongho's recording was already done? That fast? It seemed like it, because he saw Jongho walk out, expression stiff till the door was closed. The maknae then let out a sigh.

"How long did you spend in there?" Wooyoung asked, his voice laced with uncertainty as his mind raced.

"How long did you spend in there?" Wooyoung asked. His mind was playing tricks."Like 10 minutes-it was easy! Right?" Jongho exclaimed, but immediately shifted after seeing Wooyoung's still confused state.

Ten minutes? That fast? Wooyoung's thoughts were spinning in circles. His sense of time felt warped, slipping through his fingers like sand. There was no way that much time had passed already. Everything felt distorted, as if reality itself had tilted.

Was he okay? Something was definitely wrong. There was no way 10 minutes had flown by like that.

Just then, Mingi walked out. Oh dear god, please not again. There was no way another 10 minu-thank god. He checked his phone and only 5 minutes had passed. Yet, everything felt so fast. But he expected nothing to be as fast as what happened next—

"Wooyoung, please come foward."