𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯

Heavy breathing filled the room, accompanied by the sound of water being chugged down. Some of the girls sat on the floor, completely exhausted, while others forced themselves to keep their composure, maintaining a professional stance despite their fatigue.

"Woo, that choreography was something else, wasn't it, girls?" Nam-ra said, stretching her arms above her head.

"Tell me something I don't know, Nam-ra," Lily groaned, running a hand through her damp blonde hair, clearly annoyed.

"You need to chill, unnie," the Chinese girl, Mei, teased, her lips curling into a playful smirk.

Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed her water bottle from her bag. "Easy for you to say. Some of us actually sweat during practice."

Meanwhile, Soo-yun was seated on the bench, typing away on her phone.

"Hey, Soo-yun, what're you up to?" Aera asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Oh, nothing. Just got a text from my mom. I'll have to head to a restaurant later," Soo-yun replied, glancing up briefly before returning to her phone.

The girls nodded, some of them too drained to react. But Nam-ra suddenly sat up, her eyes darting around.

"OMG! Does anyone have their phone with them right now?"

Soo-yun raised an eyebrow. "You just saw me texting."

Nam-ra grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, can I check something real quick?"

Soo-yun shrugged and handed over her phone. "Just don't do anything weird."

"Would I ever?" Nam-ra said innocently as she swiftly unlocked Netflix.

The other girls watched as she navigated straight to a particular drama, her eyes lighting up.

"Seriously? Aren't you tired of watching that drama over and over again?" Aera questioned, shaking her head in disbelief.

Nam-ra shrugged, completely unbothered, as she hummed the intro OST. "You guys would understand if you watched it. Plus, I'm not a spoiler like some people."

She cast a meaningful glance toward Aera, who gasped dramatically.

"Hey! Don't blame me! It's a habit-I've been like this since I was six!"

Their conversation was interrupted when the studio door opened. Their manager walked in, clapping his hands as he watched the choreography playback on the studio screen.

"That was spectacular, girls. I must say, the five of you have the potential to become the next big thing in K-pop," he said with a proud smile.

The girls straightened up, exchanging looks of excitement and pride. But then, the manager's gaze shifted to Nam-ra, who was only half-focused on his words, her attention still on the screen.

"Nam-ra, which episode are you on?" he asked suddenly.

The girls turned to her, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

"Oh, me? Manager-nim, I'm on episode 10-the new one they just released," Nam-ra answered, barely looking away from the screen.

The manager took out his phone and glanced at a notification from Netflix. "Ah, I see. The new episode is out today."

Lily raised a brow. "Wait... don't tell me you watch this drama too, Manager-nim?"

The girls stared at him, expressions ranging from curiosity to judgment.

He nodded, unfazed. "Of course. Don't tell me you girls haven't watched Kim Taehyung's new drama Stigma yet?"

Nam-ra smirked. "Exactly! See? Even Manager-nim watches it!"

Aera groaned. "Ugh, fine! Maybe I'll check it out."

Just as Nam-ra was about to say something else, she noticed Soo-yun's phone screen light up with an incoming call. She subtly nudged Soo-yun, who picked up the phone and checked the caller ID.

"Excuse me for a second," Soo-yun murmured before stepping outside.

As she walked into the hallway, she answered the call. "Eomma, what's the-"

Before she could finish, her mother's frantic voice cut her off.

"Soo-yun, listen carefully. Something happened. I need you to come home immediately."

Soo-yun's breath hitched. The usual warmth in her mother's voice was gone, replaced with urgency.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, her fingers tightening around the phone.

There was a pause, then a hushed whisper.

"I can't explain right now. Just get here as soon as you can."

Soo-yun's heart pounded. Her mother never sounded like this.

"I'll be there," she promised before hanging up.

Taking a deep breath, she re-entered the dance studio, trying to mask the worry on her face.

"Everything okay?" Mei asked, noticing the shift in Soo-yun's expression.

"Yeah," Soo-yun forced a small smile. "I just... need to leave a little earlier than planned."

Nam-ra, Lily, and Aera exchanged glances, sensing that something was off.

"Want us to come with you?" Nam-ra offered casually, but her eyes held a hint of concern.

Soo-yun hesitated, then shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll be back later."

As she gathered her things and headed toward the door, she could still feel the eyes of her members on her back.

Something told her that whatever was waiting at home... wasn't going to be good.

𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝
𝐃𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 ⭐⭐ 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧.
𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 ❤❤