C H O P P Y | kwon minsik

t w e n t y - t w o ; longer talks

        FOR A FEW MINUTES, everything seemed to move in slow motion. 

        Dahye felt the air in her lungs disappear, her throat constricting as the muscles on the elegant column of her neck tighten, leaving her literally breathless. Although she couldn't feel it herself, she felt the skin on her hands and arms go cold and clammy. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous to see this man again, why he made her body go into panic mode. Was it because she hadn't expected to seem be signed to the record label no other than H1GHR itself? Yes. Was it because she remembered the brief moment they almost shared last night? That, she wasn't sure about. 

       Regardless, before she had the moment to excuse herself to go to the bathroom and get back her cool, the man moved swiftly towards them, his eyes not looking anywhere but hers. Dahye pursed her lips, moving her eyes away from his brutally insistent gaze to stare out the window. The cloudless sky and glass skyscrapers piercing through the air didn't giver her any answers. She forced herself to not look even when Jay's laughter sounded and he rose up from his seat, giving a manly hug to the man who had identified himself as Minsik last night. Jay's mood has changed drastically in just a few brief seconds, his stone-cold face and somber tone becoming jovial and cheerful. He seemed to be genuinely happy to see Minsik, even though Dahye couldn't say the feeling was the same for her. 

        "Minsik, man, I'm so glad to see you." Jay laughed, patting the younger man on the back as they hugged. "Fuck, man, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Six months, maybe longer?"

        "Yeah, half a year sounds about right," Minsik laughed in response. "Man, you were right when you told me those Los Angeles fans are crazy. They kept throwing lingerie at me onto the stage the entire night." 

        Hoody scrunched her nose, clearly not impressed with how wild the American crowds were. "So, what? If me and Dahye here were to perform the guys would throw condoms at us?" She asked. ChaCha and Hyukwoo coughed awkwardly at how blunt the raven-haired rapper was, while Seonghwa and the others busied themselves by talking  and going over the documents detailing the collaboration even though Dahye knew they were listening intently. 

        Minsik hadn't been expecting such a question. He fumbled for an answer, looking a bit uncomfortable under Hoody's scrutinizing gaze. "Um...I can't say for sure, but-"

        Just then she laughed, the tension in the air dissolving at the slightest. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. You're too uptight, relax a little. We're all friends here." She gestured around the room, giving him a playful punch on the am. 

        Minsik flashed a stiff smile, yet it still graced his face beautifully. "Ah, okay. Damn, do I really look that nervous?"

        ChaCha then lent a hand to the younger rapper, putting an arm around the latter's shoulders. "It's cool, man. We got you all here to break the ice anyways. Hoody here is just teasing you, isn't she? She's a sweetheart."

        "My real name is Kim Hyungjung, but everyone calls me by my stage name, so you're welcome to join the club." She bowed down gracefully, receiving the same response from Minsik. He knew he already warmed up to Hoody: her style, her attitude, the way she spoke reminded him of some of his female friends back in his home town. They all had the smart-ass, sarcastic attitude that Hoody herself had, and Minsik felt that he could trust her and become friends with her easily. 

        Seonghwa, Hyukwoo, Mintaek, and the rest of the members of AOMG introduced themselves to Minsik, who was later joined by the rest of the boys from H1GHR. The boys, plus Hoody, seemed to get along well right off the bat, dapping each other up and laughing as they exchanged embarrassing and funny memories from concerts and tours. Dahye watched them with a smile, preferring to stay on the sidelines for the time being. She would have plenty of time to meet them anyways; the purpose of this meeting was to get them to make a collab together, which meant both parties would be visiting each other a lot more often once they were back in Seoul.