String to my heart ♪ Mark Lee

♪ 67

Take you out, take you out
What's the future? Where's the now?
This is international
Make it unforgettable

♪

The apartment slowly filled with noise like a quiet room being taught how to breathe again.

The door swung open with a dramatic shove. 

"Guys help!" Chanwoo called out, bags overflowing in his hands, balancing three grocery bags like he was smuggling some treasure.

Sooah stepped in right after him, her arms full of neatly packed containers that smelled like actual food unlike what Chanwoo brought to the table.

Minkyu followed, holding a bag of ice cream that was already threatening to melt. 
"If this melts entirely, I'm blaming Chanwoo for driving slow."
"You think cars can fly in traffic? If that's the case, then you could've drove."
"Yeah, whatever." Minkyu kept the ice cream in the fridge and Chanwoo dropped the bags onto the tea table. 

Yunhye slipped in behind him, holding a tray of smoothies with the kind of care usually reserved for fragile glass. 
"Someone open the door properly next time, I would've dropped all this."

Jaejin who was already sprawled across the couch like he paid rent.
"You all took long enough." 

Jihye nudged him with her foot.
"Says the guy who nearly died trying to act cool."
"It was not about being cool, it was heavy and I lost balance." Jaejin muttered, sitting up. 
"You lost dignity." Chanwoo said as he sat down, arranging the food.

Laughter cracked through the room.

By the time Hannah came out, hair slightly damp and dressed in something softer and looser, the place had transformed. Food containers were open, snacks scattered like confetti, drinks lined up like a mini cafe.

She paused at the doorway for a second.  

This felt warm.

"Wow," she said, walking in slowly. 
"You guys turned this into a whole festival." 

Sooah grinned. 
"Obviously, did you think we'd trust them with food?" She gestured towards the boys. 
"Hey," Minkyu protested.
"We brought ice cream."
"Which is currently fighting for its life." Yunhye added.  

Hannah laughed, settling down on the floor beside them.
"Still counts." 

Jihye leaned forward immediately, eyes narrowing at her.
"Your man left, right?" 

Hannah blinked,
"Left?"
"Yeah, for his tour." 
"Yeah, he did." 

Jaejin raised his hand, 
"As someone who suffered today due to Jihye, I think I deserve sympathy and pampering."
"You got hit because you deserved it." Jihye said flatly.

"I did not-"

"You did."

The group burst into laughter again.

Chanwoo leaned back on his hands, studying Jaejin.
"How did you fall from the motorcycle and get hit by a human on the same day?"
"It's called a layered experience, and you know how skillful I am?" 
"It's called being a menace to society." Sooah corrected. 

Hannah shook her head, smiling as she picked some food.
"You should've seen him earlier."
"Okay, can we move on from my suffering?" Jaejin groaned. 
"Fine," Minkyu said, stretching his legs out.
"How's work?" 

That earned a collective groan.

Chanwoo was the first to speak,
"Styling idols sounds fun until we have to match everything to both the vibe of the performance and flexibility for the dance." 
"That's cruel." Yunhye said