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━━━ " 📂  " ‍..⃗. ༉

𝙍 𝙀 𝙈 𝙀 𝘿 𝙔

! chapter one ─── ʚĭɞ

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"Let's break up."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore!"

A shadow fell over the watching girl's face, her eyes drifting upwards as both her view and the light from the street lamp were blocked. "Hwang Miyeon, why are you always sat here when I walk past?"

"Maybe because I know that you always do, without a fail?" The girl offered a smile, shaking her head. "Seojun, I'm joking, of course. That's only an added plus. I'm really here to see if the cycle ever breaks."

"The cycle?" Han Seojun repeated, sitting down on the steps beside her and taking the green bottle from her hands. "How much of this have you drunk? You're a total lightweight, how has so much gone?"

"It's a bottle from another night. Only a few sips, I promise." Miyeon watched as he took a sip himself, placing the bottle on the step below him. "I know how much soju I can drink before I'm completely past tipsy."

"Good." Seojun did forever worry about her, but as he picked up the bottle for a second time and took yet another sip, he tipped the rim to the sight that he had blocked. "The cycle?" He repeated.

"Oh yes." Miyeon's eyes widened just slightly and she pushed herself up from her slumped position. "Every week that couple go to that bar on a Friday night. And every week, without a fail they leave and proclaim that they're breaking up."

"And by the next week they're back together like nothing happened." Seojun finished her sentence.

"Like clockwork." The woman beside him looked towards him, pulling a bottle cap out of her pocket. "But that also means it's the end of my break. I have an hour left of practise before I can go home - you can have the rest of the alcohol if you want. It should be drunken on the night you open it, not days after."

"I guess there are sacrifices a lightweight has to make." Seojun took the bottle and tucked it into the inside pocket of his coat. "I'll walk you back to your studio. Come on."

The place where Miyeon chose to take her break was around the back of the Move Entertainment building, which was a little less classy and civilised than the front - which was all shiny windows and polished flooring. The back however, opened up onto a street, which just looked like any other. There, she could sit in the steps to a fire exit door in peace without interruption from any staff or her group-mates.

"Do you often have alcohol during your breaks at practise?" Seojun asked, as they began to walk back down the side-alley to the building.

"Only when they run this late." Miyeon had grown up in many ways, but still had that sort of smart logic that she could use to explain everything. "Han Seojun, tell me what our friends are doing right now?" She rather suddenly asked, looking towards him.

"Probably sat in a restaurant or bar. Chorong sent me a rather weird picture of him and Hyemin, so I'm guessing the latter." Seojun presented the photo on his phone screen, nodding as Miyeon made a face at the expressions they were pulling.

"Exactly." The look slid off of her face quickly. "Because they're being normal adults. We're devoting our lives and giving up that privilege. So, whilst people are age go out and drink, I'm doing the same."

"Just that you're doing it around the back of an entertainment building before returning to late night practise." Seojun almost got it - Miyeon really just wanted to feel normal. But she could never truly be that, not to him at least.

"I guess so." She shrugged, an easy smile on her face as they climbed up the steps and into the building, smiling as they came to a stop by the security guard manning the doors. "How's Mrs Kim and the little baby?" Miyeon asked.

"Very well Miyeon, thank you for asking. Yeonmi is doing very well. She appreciates the sweater she received last week." Baek Daesung rose an eyebrow at the bulge in Seojun's pocket. "Is that soju?"

"It's mine." Miyeon reached for the pocket and pulled it out, placing it in the box beside Mr Baek labelled to be for confiscated items. "Sorry." She winced as she looked up at Seojun. "Eunjoo will be happy to hear about the sweater, the drinking perhaps not so much."

"Yes, pass along our gratitude. I can assume it was only the one bottle?" Mr Baek continued, the two trainees nodding. "In you go. And I expect to see you both out before my shift ends. It might be a Friday but that doesn't mean you should work until the early morning. How are the couple across the street?"

"Oh we weren't planning on it - oh, and they've broken up again." Miyeon grinned, before pulling Seojun inside, the two beginning towards the elevator. "I lied. You wouldn't mind staying and working on some lyrics with me when practise is over?"

"For an hour?" Seojun cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to stay for an hour whilst you practise when I could be out doing normal things?"

"It's not a set practise. We're just sort of going over things.. you know? Singing, learning another choreography. I think Hyunwoo's up there with the other three?" Miyeon was smiling up at him hopefully.

"Fine." Seojun's tone resembled a grumble more than anything, but he continued to follow her down the hallways, reaching the elevator and leaning over the Hwang girl to press the button.

It opened ten seconds later, clearly on it's way down to the ground floor already. "Han Seojun, Hwang Miyeon." Getting out of the elevator, joined by a man in a suit was Im Heekyung, who nodded at them politely.

The two trainees bowed in reply, waiting for their elders to leave before getting in themselves. As Miyeon pressed the button for the floor, Heekyung twisted around and winked at them, smiles growing on all of their faces as the doors closed.

They reached the trainee-only floor in no time at all, instantly making their way down the corridor to the practise room in which Miyeon knew the three girls of VIVID would be in.

"I only though you and Hyunwoo were in?" Miyeon asked as they turned around the corner and the sound of electric guitar filled their ears - albeit slightly muffled from the walls.

"It must be Daehwan." Seojun looked slightly conflicted as they stopped by the door. It was only him and Dae who played the electric guitar - Kenji could play guitar, but stuck to acoustic.

"I'll go check on him." Miyeon offered seconds later. "You go to the practise room - I'll be two minutes." She tapped his gently on the shoulder and pushed him down the corridor with the same slight force.

"Fine, I'll be waiting." Seojun agreed without argument, beginning down towards the practise room again.

The Hwang girl waited until her best friend had disappeared around the corner before turning to the door and knocking as loud as she could, knuckles aching when she reached for the handle. The guitar hadn't stopped, and it grew louder when she finally opened it, slipping inside.

It was Daehwan just as predicted, guitar in hand and focused on only that, moving around to the music that he played snd his dark hair jumped along with him. Finally, he played the last couple of notes and having spotted Miyeon in mirror and tucked away the dark red pick into his pocket.

"Dae, hi." Miyeon offered a smile, stepping forward from where she had been leaning against the wall. "We - me and Seojun - we were just passing and neither of us realised you were in."

"I've just been in here." Daehwan let the guitar hang by the strap around his neck and shoulders, just holding into the end of it. "I was writing earlier, so I wasn't making any noise."

"Oh.. I see." Miyeon's hand reached up, thumb pointing behind her. "There's a few of us in the big practise room, me - and the other girls, Seojun and Hyunwoo, if you want to join us."

"I'll think about it." Dae nodded slowly. "But I'll probably go back to the dorm soon."

"Well if you change your mind - and I think someone might get some food at some point? I'm not sure if Kenji is around.. but it could be a group thing." Miyeon wanted to make sure every option was covered.

"In a few minutes then." Daehwan swallowed. "I just want to check over this once more." He gestured to his guitar and sheet music. But I can text Kenji for you and ask where he is."

"Thank you, and take your time, there's a whole hour left of practise time." Miyeon smiled as she made her way back to the door, Daehwan grinning at her as she slipped out and closed it behind her.

And with the promise of Dae joining the rest of the group and asking Kenji to do the same, Miyeon made her way over to the main practise room.