Chapter Text
1, 2, 3...
And up, and spread, and slide—
4, 5, 6, 7...
And down, and jump, and clap, and spin and—
"Pose!"
Two beautiful figures took over the stage, fallen straight from the sky, elegant, beautiful, divine. The first, the tallest, had long, black hair with waves like a river, and jet-black eyes that pierced the soul like a knife. Her skin was tanned like a flower, and she stood as if she had nothing to fear. Her light-colored clothes in contrast, hugged all the right places without bordering on vulgarity. Black boots that reminded you of your place.
The second, smaller, more playful, with short, messy, dirty-blond hair, as if you owed her, soft chocolate-brown eyes, as if they were already planning something. Pale skin, as if made of porcelain, a sweater that was perhaps too big, a canvas stained with recognizable colors and shapes, and shoes that screamed comfort.
Labored breathing, radiant but tired smiles, and a small but encouraging round of applause filled the room. The girls' poses faltered, their cheeks flushed with exertion.
Even so, they looked brilliant, the lights shining on them as if they were the only important thing in the room, and they were, you could see the girls perk up at the applause, their expressions softening, something more genuine blossoming from their hearts.
And you? Oh my God, you were the happiest person in the room, patting yourself on the back for a job well done.
You rushed to hand out refreshingly cold bottles of water to the girls in the small backstage area, forgetting what personal space was for a few seconds, your hands flying to their cheeks as you squeezed and cooed, just like a proud mother would to her cute children. Not really paying attention to the sweaty sticking to your fingers.
"You two looked so cute out there! I swear, we'll become famous one day. You two are too amazing to go unnoticed!" You squealed happily, your voice rising an octave as you continued to croon sweet nothings about how amazing the performance was. You were so happy, excited, even ecstatic about what you'd just seen. Sometimes you couldn't believe you were a part of this.
"Please, stop Manager-nim, you're going to make me blush..." 'Angelari' mumbled in mock shyness, pulling away and pushing you lightly, in that soft voice she usually only used for fans, only to be interrupted by her own laughter, unable to continue the act. "You know we wouldn't shine this bright without you." Kyungmi mocked, bumping her hip against yours. The sound of the bottle opening echoed in the small space, followed by her chugging the water.
'Lucine' groaned from the floor, looking as if a truck had run over her. "Stop being so cheesy, unnie, I'm going to throw up..." Ryu-na grumbled, truly with no bite beneath her words, she pressed the cold bottle against her cheek, instantly soothing her.
"Forget it, you're amazing, I love you."
You laughed at the duo's antics, walking away from them for a second before returning with dry towels for their sweat. Ah, it's the least you could do for them. You've already stressed and distressed them enough this morning, going o an unexpected shopping trip and buy what most closely resembles their aesthetic on a low, very low budget.
The morning was going well, the cafeteria where you usually bought your morning coffee for you and the girls was almost empty, saving you a lot of time having to wait, besides, no car had tried to run you over so far, so, you could concentrate on making everything perfect for the new song, you had a good feeling—
RIIIING! You recognized the seamstress's name in the screen when you took out your phone, maneuvering with your non-dominant hand to make sure nothing fell out. Oh, how lucky! Surely the outfits were already ready. You would take advantage of picking them up since you were right there.
"Greetin—" "I quit!" What? WHAT? Did you hear right? You almost dropped thr drinks in surprise. No, you couldn't have heard right. That wasn't even acceptable in here—
"Excuse me?—" "You heard me! I quit!" Okay, it seemed she had a certain taste for interrupting you— Her words dragged on painfully. There wasn't a day you could be calm, was there? Oh god, every day you waited more for the day you died.
Your grip tightened on the almost forgotten drinks, feeling everything crumble, both metaphorically and literally. You opened your mouth, ready to ask for an explanation, a justification, an excuse—anything!—but before you could whine for her to stay, you were interrupted. AGAIN.
"I'm just getting nothin'! I refuse to continue being exploited like this, fuck off!" Okay, understandable crashout, you'd probably quit like that too if you weren't a workaholic.
"But—" She hung up on you!— she hung up on you. Okay, this was fine. You were fine, it's not like you were desperate or anything—no, not at all.
"Hey, we're talking to you." You felt hands squeeze your jaw and shake your head slightly. Well, it worked. It snapped you out of your little morning recap. Your eyes connected with Ryu-na's chocolate brown ones. She seemed disappointed but used to your strange silences at inopportune moments.
"You're always in your own world," The blonde grumbled, ripping the towel from your hands, maniacally drying her face. "Leave them alone, they're probably thinking about our next concert, right?" You felt a small squeeze on your shoulder from Kyungmi, while reaching with her other hand for the other towel, drying herself majestically while maintaining eye contact, her gaze understanding as always, always looking for excuses for your flaws, how cute, seriously.
"Actually, girls..." Your voice fell into a barely audible murmur, your expression falling into thin air, your head hanging depressed. "There's something that's been bothering me these past few days, and...and I can't hide it anymore, I need to tell you..."
You saw the exact moment their expressions dropped 3 meters underground, you even swore you saw Ryu-na's skin turn pale in a millisecond. They hurried over, worried for you— You felt their hands squeeze yours, their innocent faces filled with anticipation and fear.
"What happened? Are you okay?" "You don't have a terminal illness, do you?" "Oh, did the agency cut budgets again— Oh...did they—" "ARE YOU FIRED?!"
The poor girls continued to bombard you with frightened questions, trying to find your gaze, but you just looked away, your eyes glossy, almost as if you were about to cry. Their murmurs fell silent the instant your hands firmly but gently gripped their arms. You heard how their breaths hitched, waiting for tragic news.
"Listen, you know I love you guys a lot, right...?" Your voice broke, you whispered conspiratorially, even turning away, almost as if you were forbidden to speak. Your expression seemed straight out of a tense and jaw-breaking scene from a K-drama, and somehow, it still looked believable. You watched as Kyungmi and Ryu-na nodded vigorously at your question. Oh, they were really believing it all.
"Well, as your manager, stylist, photographer, cook, choreographer, and now, seamster. I need to tell you that thanks to this concert, I realized that..."
"We need a direct pass to eat tteokbokki and ramyeon tonight! Just us, what do you think?" You hugged the girls by their shoulders nervously, squeezing them happily. Kyungmi had to bend down a little for you to reach her. Oh, of course you would do this, too coward to actually tell them the news.
The two of them looked at you as if you had just killed their beloved cat, your smile faltered a little, genuinely fearing for your safety.
The soft drizzle pattered the dark streets of Seoul, the cold getting to any poor soul who preferred to look good rather than stay warm. The three of you walked tiredly, you still complaining about the tremendous blow Kyungmi gave you and Ryu-na still trying to convince you that you were already close of the place!
"I swear I didn't do it to worry you! I–" "Ta-da!" Ryu-na chirped, pointing to a small yellow tarp, which looked like a makeshift—but viable—shelter against the winds. The maknae dramatically opened the tarp, allowing the two of you to go through first.
The smoke and the spicy smell were the first things that caught your senses. The sound of meat being grilled, the small metallic clicks of chopsticks, and the gentle fizz of soju filled the atmosphere, more welcoming than you'd imagined. The soft yellow lighting seemed to invite you in. Tables with corners that seemed to have already lost the battle, and the plastic chairs had resigned themselves to leaving the place despite its obvious flaws. It was undoubtedly the perfect place for you and your wallet.
"Welcome to the food palace! Perfect for managers with zero budget and a dream!" Ryu-na shook you cheerfully by the shoulders, pushing you into a chair, herself leaving her jacket onto another chair and technically throwing herself into it. Kyungmi was the most decent of the three of you; sitting like a pretty princess, what a darling, really, you didn't deserve her.
Ryu-na was already devouring the banchan politely placed on the table, breaking every rule of manners in a short minute. Kyungmi's fingers reached for the sticky, laminated menu with its yellow background and bold red lettering. She was already thinking about what to order without having to put too much strain on your bill. And well, you were completely fixated on the perfectly lined up, cold bottles of soju, tempting you to order, order, and order again. But luckily, your last brain cell was giving it its all. Your eyes returned to a small black notebook you were holding, courtesy of the agency. You took out your extremely childish and adorable pencil filled with glitter and a teddy bear charm on the tip—a teddy bear!
"How about—3 ramyeons, a gimbap, 3 servings of tteokbokki, and a bottle of soju?" Kyungmi suggested, leaning closer to your shoulder, watching as you started writing down the bills. Ramyeon: ₩3,000 -> ₩9,000 Gimbap: ₩3,500 Tteokbokki: ₩4,000 -> ₩12,000 Soju: ₩3,000
You cringed at the prices, the prices were okay, just average—just you were too broke to pay it. Aside from the fact that you knew you weren't going to settle for just one round of soju. "Did you know that soju has been scientifically proven to improve managers' work performance?" You blurted out, trying to convince them and yourself to succumb to the god soju.
Kyungmi raised an eyebrow. “Scientifically? Where did you read that, (Name)?” “In my heart,” you replied solemnly, your hands gripping your notebook as if it would protect you from all the evils of the world. The ajumma tending the stall approached without asking too many questions, used to the antics of young people. "Could you give me, um, two ramyeon, a gimbap, one serving of tteokbokki, and a bottle of soju? Please?" Ramyeon ×2: ₩6,000, Gimbap ×1: ₩3,500 Tteokbokki ×1: ₩4,000, Soju ×1: ₩3,000.
The ajumma passed one of the ice-cold bottles to Ryu-na, who looked like she had been shot right in the heart, betrayal flashing in her eyes. "Just one serving? What are we? Vagrants?" The blonde protested, her eyes piercing your soul and making you feel your sins crawling up your back. Her perfectly manicured nails gripped the neck of the bottle, opening it with practiced ease and pouring the contents into three small glasses while gazing scarily at you. How scary, she was probably thinking of doing the same thing to your head.
You didn't hesitate for long before downing the glass in one gulp, the comforting burn passing through your throat. You let out an exaggerated sigh, resting your face on your hand as you scribbled in your notebook, though the silence didn't last long, Kyungmi letting out a little scream that startled you and Ryu-na altogether. Damn, who had died now?
"Look, look!" she called, turning her phone so you could see it too. You saw a completely golden screen, the word 'GOLDEN' written elegantly in the center (redundantly), while below the word was a countdown by noon tomorrow. "Huntrix is releasing a new single, tomorrow!—"
A series of high-pitched screams filled the tent, causing people at other tables to turn to see the cause of the commotion. "NO WAY." "Aren't they supposed to go on hiatus?" "Ryu-na, please stop me from spending all of (Name)'s money on their merch." "Oh my god?—"
Their voices mingled in a hodgepodge of conspiracy theories, doubts, and lots and lots of fanatic bliss.
"Ugh, I hate that I couldn't make it to the last concert of the tour." Ryu-na groaned, burying her head in her hands. Tragedy, really what a tragedy. "Dude, those tickets cost a kidney each— you couldn't even afford it!" "I'd sell all my organs just to see their beautiful, perfect faces up close..." Kyungmi babbled dreamily, followed by nods and approvals from both of you. Before you knew it, Ryu-na and you were on either side of Kyungmi, peeking at her phone to see more about the greatest girl band of all time.
Soon, a video of the live concert was playing on the screen. Lights everywhere, screams from the audience as the girl trio killed it— THEY LITERALLY FELL OUT OF THE SKY. Zoey’s rapping, Mira’s smooth yet sharp moves, and Rumi’s beautiful whistle note— And that was a person dressed as a demon exploding in glitter?? Oh god, the special effects were so incredible, you almost doubted they weren’t real!
"Rumi is so beautiful... She's like a goddess, it's impossible for such beauty to be from this world..." "Ugh, why does Mira have to be so hot? Unfair." "I need all three of them on my bed." Before the other two could give you strange looks, the ajumma came with all of your orders, somehow managing to balance all the trays in her arms. The three of you quickly separated and took Kyungmi phone's away, trying to help the ajumma serve.
The table was filled with extravagant smells and colors, the metal pots of ramyeon sweating as the liquid inside bubbled deliciously, the gimbap delicately rolled, divinely, and the portion of tteokbokki shining right in the middle, as if it were a special guest.
"Did I die...?" You muttered under your breath. "This...this is heaven..." You leaned over to look at all the dishes, the spiciness making your nose itch. You swore you were drooling, and you knew your companions weren't far behind. "Give me three more bottles of soju, please!"
Ryu-na was the first to move, her metal chopsticks raised, ready to attack the tteokbokki. "Mine!" But before she could launch a terrorist attack, Kyungmi's chopsticks intervened, a stern look piercing the younger girl. "Sharing is caring! Weren't you taught any manners? Let your elders eat first!" "You're not even the oldest! You liar!"
You tried to keep up the facade of 'very mature and serious looking manager', but you were terrible at it, with the seriousness of having read 3 manuals on "How to Be a Good Manager" and none on "How to Control Yourself with Food". Your mouth full and your cheeks puffed out from trying to eat a whole gimbap roll. "Girls, don't fight...nom...we have to maintain the...nomnom... public image..."
It's not like they're listening to you, either.
You opened your notebook again, preparing your pen for the slaughter. “internal loan: Ryu-na 5, Kyungmi 3, (Name) — manager's honor.”
By the time you finally finished swallowing, the plates were almost empty, the ramyeon long gone, and all that was left was a single tteokbokki, in all its glory.
You could see how the supposedly best friends were now killing each other with their eyes, having the same thought: 'Dare, DARE.'
"I'll bet a thousand won that Kyungmi wins," you said casually, taking another shot of soju. Kyungmi scoffed exasperatedly. She had The Manager's support, so it was obvious she would win.
"TRAITOR????"
And the war began, words flew like bullets, chopsticks clattered on the plate, shouts as if world peace would be achieved depending on who won.
You obviously took advantage and grabbed the last tteokbokki, showing off while taking longer chewing than you should have for a small rice cake. You didn't hear the silence, you felt it. It throbbed. Two pairs of eyes pierced you as if you were Satan themselves.
You were so cooked.
"No! Stop moving like that! Why do you make it so stiff???"
"Bro, if I do it like that, my babies won't be appreciated." Another flex, air that didn't come from the windows blowing on his beautiful sculpted abs.
"What are you talking about??? your shirt is about to explode????? If you show any more, we'll be reported for public indecency." Loser, loser, loser. King of losers.
The black-haired man tried to fix his bandmate's posture, failing miserably.
"Do you think I look handsome enough?" A poet and a dog, he turned his head majestically, his hair moving as if he had a constant fan making him look perfect.
Nod.
"But what kind of handsome, hot handsome or cute handsome?"
Shake of head.
"Neither of them?!"
Nod.
"Oh god, at this rate I won't be able to cage anyone's heart, I'm doomed."
Pat.
"At this rate, NO ONE is going to fall for our charms," he scoffed bitterly, a stressed hand rubbing his temple. "If we don't take this seriously, we'll never be able to defeat The Huntrix, and we—"
"—The Huntrix? God, you're so old."
"It's like he's 400 years old, dude."
"You remind me of a villainous king, I read it recently—"
He wondered why he chose these failures to be part of his grand plan, why Jinu, why.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE—
You slammed the alarm button as if it had personally offended you.
It didn't make you wake up with less energy, though.
Tumble outta bed and I stumble onto the kitchen
You turn on the stove without thinking twice, putting the kettle on while you add pins to a new board like a maniac, you had to finish the mood board right away! The girls needed to have an idea of what you had planned for today.
You realized you'd had enough when the kettle was already whistling.
Pour myself a cup of ambition
managernim (9:12)
pin.it/731k1ZAnGzlss
look the aesthetic
look
very
closely
bring your pretty asses to where we always meet up
yu know right
you
love you don't take long
☺️
Your autopilot finished making the coffee without you even noticing, drinking it in one go. You were going to start this morning off right; you had big plans for today.
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
You let go of your cute bunny slippers, occupying your hands with your shampoo, conditioner, and eye bag concealer that you stole from Ryu-na. (to this day she is still looking for it.)
Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumping
You start to spin slightly in front of the mirror, hands on your hips. You look good, obviously you do. Your outfit, beautiful and stunning, as always, what good taste you had in clothes! what a pretty, pretty manager.
You grabbed your keys and your bag that had everything in it, you were sure that if a zombie virus sprang out of nowhere, this bag would save you. You admired for a few seconds the cute Rumi, Mira, and Zoey keychains hanging from your keys, beautiful, art. Your lucky charms.
You closed your door with a soft click, waiting for the elevator.
Out on the street the traffic's jumping
You wove through the crowd, stumbling here and there, but nothing you hadn't lived before. Oddly, today the crowd seemed even more packed than ever. Not that you cared; you had more important things to do.
With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5 (mm, yeah!)
You started humming without realizing it, your headphones blasting. That's how all your mornings were. It seemed monotonous, but you liked the routine. Especially when it included the girls you loved so much.
"Working 9 to 5— what a way to make a livin'—" You sang silently, your eyes scanning the place for the already recognizable silhouettes of your girls.
Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving
You strolled along the path, making a short mental list of what you had to do today.
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
And you see them, in all their splendor, clearly worn from last night. You hum happily, approaching them. Your mind is racing; the coffee really did the trick.
It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it!
You hugged them by their shoulders, taking them by surprise, your hands lightly shaking them, reiterating your arrival. "Girls! You're here!" You squealed in a high-pitched voice, only receiving groans and tired looks in response. How is it possible that you seem so unaffected if you were the one who drank the most yesterday???
"Girls...Why soju makes...numbers look kinda hot...?"
It seemed like Kyungmi was going to say something—a taunt, a complaint, something—but you didn't even give her a chance, taking out your phone and searching for something while you started to ramble.
"You saw the board I sent you, right? It's all the things I have planned for you, outfits, hairstyles—everything!" You happily beamed, almost jumping on your heels, only to be met with faces of pure confusion.
Oh, okay.
"You didn't see it then." You said more softly, almost letting disappointment get the better of you. Almost. You hurried to open the board and hold it in their hands. "Okay, never mind, look at it, now."
You pushed the little of their backs so they could start walking, listening to small murmurs of their ideas, you maked a mental note of them for later.
"Ohh, cute." "I like the angelic aesthetic, you cooked." "It reminds me a lot of what we wore in our debut..." "Why is there so much dyed hair—are you thinking of frying my hair again?"
You silenced Ryu-na with your index finger, standing between them. You grabbed her hands and intertwined your fingers with theirs. You were fucking glowing, what could you do? You loved talking about new concepts and your ideas.
"Okay, listen, as you've noticed, I'm really excited about the new song—a new era for us!" You tightened your grip for a few seconds, taking a moment to catch your breath and calm down a bit. "So, because of that, and if we're lucky—we'll get to perform the song for the first time on TV! Like—"
"Are you serious!?" Ryu-na almost screamed, composing herself slightly, her chest was doing a strange thing that made it hard for her to breathe properly from the excitement.
"This isn't one of your silly jokes again, is it...?" The black-haired squeezed your arm, maybe a little too tightly, but you just gave her a carefree chuckle. Oh, you were serious.
Oh.
...
You were serious.
A series of screams attacked your ears, giving you a little deja vu of what happened the night before, but this was much more exciting than the single, actually more exciting than anything.
You chuckled a little more, feeling the other two technically vibrating with happiness. All the bitterness and laziness of the morning hangover was gone, not even leaving a trace that it had ever been there. Now you looked like three kids who had just climbed the tallest tree.
"I— We— You...How did you do it?" Kyungmi whispered-shouted, not knowing whether to congratulate you or worry at how you even managed to find a space for them there.
"Nah, it's no biggie, talking to some contacts, pulling some strings here and there—and selling my soul, I did it." You boasted, trying to make it seem less so, waving your hand dismissively. But you couldn't contain your own excitement, small giggles coming out of you.
"DEAR MANAGER PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR EVERYTHING," Ryu-na cried into your shoulder, her arms clutching yours as if you were going to disappear like it was all a dream, her cheeks pink with adrenaline and emotion. "I swear that from today on I'm all yours! I'll never make mistakes in choreography again and no more glitter traps ever! I swear on my life!"
Well, that did sound good, actually.
You sighed happily, this was a big step for your group, KIZANG★LS, After so much time in the shadows, it was time for them to shine. You'd make sure of it. Everyone would look on in admiration, and you'd be able to say, "I was there from the beginning."
The two of them started walking much faster than you, their hands now glued to your phone as they fangirled about what their future could hold. Let them. Hope and dreaming are the most beautiful things in this world.
You began to lose yourself in your own world too, thinking about the stages, the lights, the audience. Everything. Finally, you wouldn't have to skimp on budgets if this went well. You would finally have a team of staff, people to fix the girls up, to make sure they looked impeccable, professional makeup, cameras to capture them, videographers who would strive to maintain their essence in the MVs and lives, everything! Besides, it wouldn't all fall on you anymore. Yes, obviously, you would still be their beloved manager, but only that. You wouldn't have to worry about other jobs that weren't yours anymore; now you could work to your full capacity—
Ack!
Shit, you tripped over someone again.
You blurted out an apology without thinking much about it, your head bowed as you felt shame pass through your body, feeling the familiar heat on your neck and ears, you looked up and what you saw was— interesting, very interesting.
A trio of girls in front of you, in crisis, staring at you like some weird zoo animal, and seeming to be descending into madness and freaking out with your mere presence, in fact, they looked as if they were about to explode—
"I'm...Sorry...?" You couldn't help but tilt your head, still very confused, you let out a small 'huh' before turning your gaze to the floor, something resting on the ground.
A phone.
Okay, now it was your turn to freak out.
You let out a squeak, you ducked down at lightning speed, revealing your bag and your keychains, you stayed down there for a few seconds, picking up their phone in fear, oh, how you prayed it wasn't broken, you genuinely feared how they would react if they saw you breaked their phone. You turned it over slowly and... was safe and sound!
Rumi, Mira and Zoey were having a meltdown in the middle of the street, they were supposed to be avoiding people— Wait, were those Huntrix keychains??? THEY WERE DOOMED, A FAN— Should they run??? because their legs were ready to flee. But they couldn't just leave Zoey's phone with some random, much less a fan!!!!
You stood up slowly, brushing the dust off the screen and inspecting the phone in your hands. Huh, cute phone case, it had little turtles all over it. Your mouth quivered in a shy smile.
"Sorry again, I wasn't looking where I was going." You bowed again, a little lower than the last time. Your hand shakily reached out, offering the phone like some kind of offering to a hungry beast. You expected insults, a curse, maybe even a shove for being so careless, but you were only greeted by a hand that slid the phone out of your hand, and an unbroken silence.
You composed yourself again. The three girls seemed to jump and straighten up exaggeratedly, sweating bullets. You didn't say much. Your gaze now focused on what was in front of you. What appeared to be an old hanok building, now rebuilt, a clinic, with the unfortunately familiar lettering, "Han 의원".
"Are you going there?" You pointed mindlessly at the clinic, your eyes searching their gazes before turning back to the establishment, your other hand going to your chin as your brow furrowed slightly.
"Yes— I mean! NO." The girl in the bucket hat answered you, perhaps too quickly. She looked horrified by her own response, having been fooled by her own words. It's not like you even noticed. Your gaze centered, judging the clinic.
You let out a soft 'mh' as you nodded. Maybe if you stared long enough, the doctor's face would disappear. "I don't recommend it much. I went there once and almost had my back broken. But he's good with advice, though."
"I see... I see... You have a hard time saying no to others, don't you?" The so-called doctor said in a tone matter-of-factly, and before you could even deny such an accusation, his elbow impacted against your back, a disgusting crunch that would make anyone flinch. "AHHHHHHH——"
You continued nodding, your brows furrowing even further. Your head was completely elsewhere at the memory of that damn doctor.
Okay, either you were incredibly stupid, or you were too distracted, either way, at least it was cute. Maybe this was the time to run? You seemed distracted enough to notice if they were gone... in fact, you were distracted enough not to notice who the trio of girls were.
"Actually, we were going to go there! My friend needs some tonics for her voice—"
"ZOEY??????"
"What? They don't even seem to know who we are??"
"Well, they do know, but I don't think they've realized it yet—" Mira scoffed lightly, shaking her head and pointing at you subtly—
She found your head completely turned towards her, your eyes open, your ass listened to every bit of the conversation.
And you looked at her.
And she looked at you.
And you looked at her.
It was too late to run, right? right.
They could clearly hear the gears in your head turning loudly, and as if an angel had illuminated you, the little light bulb in your head went on.
Oh, it's Huntrix.
Your mouth formed into a small "o", your eyes sparkled slightly in recognition, you subtly straightened up, clearing your throat while suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
Oh, it's Huntrix.
The girls visibly flinched, expecting some kind of scream, something like "OH MY GOD IT'S HUNTRIX!!!!!" or something like that, but there was only silence, a long, drawn-out silence.
'OHMYGODIT'SHUNTRIXOHMYGODIT'SHUNTRIXOHMYGODIT'SHUNTRIXOHMYGODIT'SHUNTRIXOHMYGODIT'SHUNTRIX'
Your mind screamed in despair.
You laughed awkwardky, your voice sounding very strained and weak. Your cheeks flushed and goosebumps prickled your skin. Your hand reached up to scratch the back of your neck, almost on impulse, a way to keep yourself grounded.
"Hun...trix...What a coincidence...to see you...here." God, why did you sound so pathetic just now? Please don't screw up.
pleasedon'tscrewuppleasedon'tscrewuppleasedon'tscrewup
You laughed nervously, your hands reaching your clothes to play with the hem, trying to wipe away the sweat that only seemed to reappear.
"Um, I'm sure you're very busy, aren't you...? doing your...idol-stuff..." You raised your hands to make a weak, awkward fingerguns. The only one who played along was Zoey with thumbs-up, and for some reason, that made you cringe even more. Congratulations, you just won the Most Socially Awkward Person award and the Screwing Up In Front Of Your Idols award.
"I have to go—HA, to do manager...stuff! with my girls hehe...—"
...
Where were your girls?
"GIRLS????"
You whimpered as you turned around to try to escape, WHERE WERE THEY?? You saw their figures in the distance, very far away. You blurted out the umpteenth apology as you ran off in the direction of Ryu-na and Kyungmi.
"Such... Such an interesting person..." Rumi said under her breath, her hand covering her mouth.
"Okay, that was weirdly cute," Mira said confused, watching your form fade into the distance.
"Hey, we didn't even give them an autograph or anything—" Zoey exasperated, her hands pointing to the place where you used to be.
"Poor baby." Mira closed her eyes, her deepest condolences. No one would believe you.