ATEEZ 9th Member AU

The Interview

Nari's speaks out

Nari took a deep breath as she slipped the last silver bracelet over her hand. Hongjoong had immediately called their manager to let him know that Nari would do the interview on one condition: all the boys would be there with her. Their manager didn't argue, simply telling them to get ready to leave.

She hadn't spoken much. Her hands were shaking slightly and she fumbled with her hair that her stylist had expertly braided a few minutes ago. She jumped when she felt a hand on hers. She turned and half-smiled at San. He smiled, kissing her temple, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm right here, jagiya." He said quietly.

She sighed, resting her head on his chest. "You don't have to do this if it's too much." He said, worry laced is voice. She shook her head. "I can do this." He nodded, squeezing her hand again and pulling her towards the others who were lounging around the waiting room. "Well, I feel overdressed." She teased lightly. But she did, a little.

The others were simply dressed in jeans and button ups while she was wearing a black miniskirt and lacy blouse. She had full makeup on while the others just had the bare minimum. They wore gym shoes, she had on heels. Seonghwa chuckled. "This is about you, Nar. Not us." She hummed, not saying much else. "So how do we want to do this?"

Nari raised her eyebrow at Mingi, clearly not following what he was saying. "Are we surrounding you like wolves protecting their young or are you gonna go front and center?" Nari thought about it for a moment. She'd love nothing more than to be hidden by her members, but she was strong, not weak. She could do this. "Front and center."

Finally, they walked into the little room. The interviewer was someone they had worked with before; she was nice and didn't try to twist their words. She was patient and knew that this interview wasn't going to be like the others. "It's so good to see you all again!" She smiled brightly and they all bowed to her, thanking her for setting this up on such short notice.

She winked at Nari, shaking her head. "I was ready; I knew she could do this." Nari blushed slightly, a small thank you leaving her lips as San subtly squeezed her hand. "If it gets to much, just tell me. We can stop. I know this isn't going to be easy." Nari nodded but the look of determination in her eyes made the interviewer smile.

"Here we are, back with ATEEZ!" The interview said into the camera and Nari's breath hitched. She knew this was going to be live and a surprise. She was feeling all the nerves. Hongjoong lightly bumped his knee with hers, sending her a look that told her he'd get her out of there the moment she needed him to. She smiled, gratefully, quickly shaking her head. She could do this.

Hongjoong looked on like a proud dad for a few moments before the interviewer's voice broke through again. "This is a surprise interview but it's not going to be your normal one. It's going to delve into the real struggles of Kim Nari." The interviewer sent her a kind smile and she smiled back, clenching her hands into fists. She was ready. Now or never.

"Shall we get started?" Nari let out a small yes. "I'm sure fans want to know what brought on this sudden interview." The interviewer said, leading into it gently. "Y-yes." Nari stuttered before clearing her throat and speaking more strongly, sitting up straighter. "Yes. There is a story due to come out tomorrow. About some stuff in my past and I wanted to get the real version of what happened out there before."

The interviewer nodded, choosing her next question carefully. "It is my understanding that the article you're talking about is about your parents." Nari nodded, biting her bottom lip. She felt someone squeeze her shoulder. "Yes." The interviewer nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Would you mind letting us all know?" Nari took a deep breath before she started speaking.

"They died when I was younger. Very young. In a store robbery gone wrong." She felt the knot in her throat and the interviewer immediately took over. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Nari-ah. Do you mind me asking what happened?" Nari took in a shaky breath, Hongjoong bumping her knee again and staring at her intently. He'd carry her off right now.

"I—I don't want to put out to much detail because it's still hard to talk about, but we were getting snacks from a store and someone had come in with a gun. My father had tried to protect me and mother, but I was young and really wanted the snack." She chuckled bitterly to herself before continuing. Hongjoong was now sitting up straighter, not taking his gaze off her. The other boys were also looking at her, waiting for the first sign of distress and to call it quits.

"The person noticed me and my father jumped out to shield me. Then my mother. I have a scar on my stomach from where the bullet passed through her and grazed me." The interviewer nodded, shooting her a small thumbs up. "That must be so hard, I can't imagine. How have you been coping all these years?" She asked. Nari smiled softly, looking at the boys around her. "All my boys. They're always there for me, no matter the time of day."

The interviewer smiled. "Can I ask why you hid this from the public?" Nari nodded, feeling much more confident now that it was out. She also felt like there was little bit of a weight off her shoulders. "I—I haven't dealt with the situation well," Nari started, choosing her words carefully. "I wasn't ready to answer questions about it or talk about it. But I'm stronger now and I've had time to process. I'm ready now."

San squeezed her hand briefly before letting it go and Hongjoong wore a wide smile. The interviewer asked a few more questions to lighten the mood before ending it. Nari thanked her profusely before they left to head home. She sat quietly on the sofa in the waiting room, having changed and cleaned up before everyone else, just smiling as she watched them all bustle around the room.

Hongjoong sat down next to her and she smiled, laying her head lazily on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "You did great, Nari-ah. I'm so proud of you." He said quietly and she hummed, nodding her head slightly. "Thank you. For everything, oppa. I actually feel okay, surprisingly. I'm just super grateful for all of you." She said and he smiled again, leaning his cheek on her head.

"I'm proud of you, my lily."