The Second Chance of A Suicidal Idol

Ryeo Hyun (7)

"...An advantage?" Ryeo Hyun and his leadership status questioned.

Joon-woo agreed with Ryeo Hyun's suspicious expression. Advantages were never really advantages. Advantages were plot drivers that shoes used to create faux drama, Joon-woo– hell, anyone knew it.

Misa with the camera staff shrugged. "Yes. Something that'll benefit your team on performance day." She formed a small heart with her words, keeping them frustratingly vague.

"And what do we have to do to qualify...?" Ryeo Hyun continued, putting a more stoic stoicism persona on. Joon-woo figured he did so for the camera.

Misa hummed, "A demonstration of what you have so far." The vague answer sounded wrong coming out of her cutesy demeanor.

"Dancing and singing?" Reggie questioned with a raised finger.

Misa proudly nodded. She was the only one not forcing a smile. "Yup!" She was the embodiment of the emoji with the tongue sticking out in yummy-delight.

The group exchanged looks. They were exhausted from working their bodies to the max, allowing the teams that had slacked during practice to have an advantage with more energy. Joon-woo's legs felt weak as he stood.

He looked to the cameras, then to Reggie, then to his too tired body. Really, this was not going to be worth it in the slightest.

–+–

He stood and he staggered as he trotted down the hallways to the dorm drenched in ache and sweat. Ryeo Hyun had stayed behind to practice more, somehow, and left Joon-woo to walk back to their dorm alone. Reggie and Baek Du-Ho and Song Chunghee all had dorms in a different wing, much to Joon-woo's dismay, and he was tired.

They had done their best, for the large cameras and for Misa who watched them with content hungry eyes. And Joon-woo wasn't even sure Misa was pleased with their performance, after all their exhaust slowed them down. She simply skipped out with a smile and left the tired boys to rot, promising results to come out the next day.

He recalled such in a fit of frustration, waking past two more doors to a door he found familiar. The door to his dorm. The door to the dorm of Ryeo Hyun and Bo Jaesang and Jung Hyun-Ok. He pushed the door wide open and the empty room welcomed him.

Unconsciously, Joon-woo traversed the dorm for his phone as he had done the days before. He peeked under his covers, other covers, the small couch, the outlets, and lastly to his pocket– to find his phone nowhere.

And then it hit him and he recalled this morning. "Nope, no Witter or social media for you or anyone in this room... Especially for you, because you're still young..."

Joon-woo wanted to pull his ponytail-pulled hair out of his scalp. What was he to do now? He squeezed his hands in his pockets in an attempt to conceal his rage, just to find an object inside. More than one object to be exact.

He pulled the objects out and realized them to be the chocolates Reggie had given in as an extension of Baek Du-Ho's gift. He grimaced. He recalled the chocopie Bo Jaesang had given him the day he, Ryeo Hyun, and Jung Hyun-Ok snuck out.

Joon-woo hated chocolate. He hated it more when it was given to him. The wrapped treat froze under his gaze, froze on Joon-woo's cold palm.

"Unnie, I always wondered, why do you keep the chocolates?" Gim Mi-Cha, Cheerleaders 16 year old main rapper.

Ha-rin looked up from her phone and stopped typing, keeping just out of Gim Mi-Cha's view. Her face was a forced blank. "I like to look at them." She replied.

Gim Mi-Cha hummed, "But it's not like their from our fans or anything, their from our teacher." Her head slightly tilted, and he curious face twisted into one of realization.

Ha-rin wanted to run away, then. Though she was Cheerleader's leader and eldest member, the curiosity of Gim Mi-Cha was a weakness. She recalled the day or so before when their teacher had ended practice early after Ha-rin had slightly injured herself. She recalled the day where he members left her in the practice room with their teacher. She recalled the moment he locked the door from the outside.

Ha-rin's face went blue before going a little red. She blushed. She blushed in recollection, the moment their instructor comforted her about the mistakes she had made that day and about Ju Hae and everything else. And the moment, the moment that had been stilling her brain for hours now– when he pressed his lips lightly against her cheek.

"Unless...!" Gim Mi-Cha went to speak. "Unnie, are you and The Instructor a thing?"

Ha-rin's face turned beat red. "Hey..! No!" If she expected any question, it wasn't that.

"Then, is it *ssemtada...?" Gim Mi-Cha pressed, inching her face closer to Ha-rin's. Her breath smelt strongly of kimchi.

(A/N: "Ssemtada" means "Situationship")

Ha-rin sweat, because really– it was none of that! Sure their teacher payed more attention to here and often gave her chocolates and small gifts after award show wins or charting records, but really– it was nothing! Their teacher simply wanted to be there for Ha-rin, granted sometimes it creeped her out, it make her feel worth something.

"It's nothing... There's nothing between us..." Ha-rin insisted, shifting away to avoid the warm breath too-close to her face.

"But he never gives up chocolates! And he's always more lenient with you when scolding you!" Gim Mi-Cha huffed. "And even recently. When you fell, he got all panicky and considerate, but whenever I stumble he constantly faults me for not practicing hard enough!"

Ha-rin scratched her cheek. She had always tried to scold their teacher for favoring ehr in some situations, but was it really to this extent? Did he really care for her that much more than the others'. Shamelessly, for a moment, she liked the feeling of warmth in her heart.

"Hey... He gets concerned about you guys too..." Ha-rin reasoned.

"He doesn't, Unnie, which is why he probably likes you..." Gim Mi-Cha groaned against Ha-rin's shoulders.

Ha-rin shook her head, "I'm 17 and he's somewhere in his 30s..." She replied.

Their teacher was 34 years old and exactly double Ha-rin's age at the time. Joon-woo recalled so while he tossed the chocolates to the trash as he did with the chocopie weeks ago. Then he looked to the clock 5:34 P.M., and then he looked to his bed.

Joon-woo was tired.

–+–

Joon-woo awoke to rough hands at his shoulders. He opened his eyes and felt a wave on unsaitsifying exhaust. He knew then that he hadn't slept through the night, and turned to force the waking hands off his shoulders.

Bo Jaesang stood above him, his expression worrisome. Behind him, the clock read 8:56 P.M.. He had slept for just three hours. Joon-woo groaned. "Hyung...?"

"Um..." Bo Jaesang gestured to the dorm door.

At the door stood Producer Jang-Soo. Joon-woo immediately woke up fully, unconsciously his expression twisted into one of annoyance with the slight appearance of fear. Bo Jaesang took short notice.

"Producer-nim wants to talk to you." Bo Jaesang confirmed Joon-woo's fears.

He looked to Producer Jang-Soo who looked back with a small, unsettling grin.