Status: on-going.
Entres Nous
XX.
Five more hours? More like fifteen more hours. It was barely two thirty and Chan had learnt patience wasn’t one of her attributes when waiting for time. Her feet slammed against the floor, the world spinning within her eyes, the chair she sat in stopping once again. She had probably spun herself over two hundred times and had yet to throw up. The world seemed dark when you had nothing else to do other than play with a chair. She stood up, stretching herself out, grabbing her keys, and walking towards the door. That was it. She refused to be in that office anymore. Chan was growing stir crazy and she knew it.
She pushed the door open, locking it and exiting towards the hallway, her eyes roaming from door to door figuring out where she could go. The only door she could recognize was the recording studio, a sleek, black, metal frame with a silver handle. She figured she could sit in there and chat with the producer for a while, finding out a month after they met for the first time that he was actually fluent in English and exceptionally nice.
Chan pushed the door open, her eyes meeting the gaze of a dark-headed boy who was sitting on the producer’s chair, a smile curling on his lips the moment he saw her. He slipped his headphones down, giving her a small wave. “You didn’t text me back.”
She smirked. “You never texted me again.”
“Because you didn’t text me back!” He rolled his chair next to the couch, patting the seat down for her. “How come you’re not working?”
She plopped down on the couch, taking advantage that it was only the two of them and crossing her legs indian style. “Yura didn’t come, so I have nothing to do.”
“How come? She usually doesn’t skip.” He raised an eyebrow. “Well, okay, she sometimes does, but hardly ever.”
“She,” Chan thought about her answer for a moment. “got sick.”
“Sick?”
“Sick.”
“Does this have anything to do with why Thunder didn’t come home two nights ago?” G.O gave her a smirk. He wasn’t stupid and she couldn’t fool him.
“Well,” She nodded.
“Figured.” He sighed. “When I came home that day there was a mighty pissed Seungho waiting by the front door. I was sure he was about to lash out at me. The moment he asked if I knew where Thunder was I knew I was in the safe zone.”
“I can just imagine what kind of beating he took once he got home.” Chan raised her eyebrows.
“It wasn’t pretty.” He chuckled. “But he at least took it like a man. Seungho showed no mercy, but I wouldn’t either if one of my best friend’s was interested in a girl I used to love.”
“So Seungho knows?” This was brand new information. Then again, Chan wasn’t that surprised. Seungho wasn’t exactly stupid.
“He knew from the beginning.” G.O leaned back on his seat. “From the moment Yura stepped into South Korea, Seungho knew Thunder was attracted to her.”
“And he still went for it with Yura?”
G.O shook his head. “Not at first. But Thunder at that time was starting his solo debut so he was too busy to take care of Yura. So he left it to Seungho, the guy he trusted above all of us, to take care of her. And that’s just how it went. It just... happened.”
“Huh...” Chan sighed at the irony. Thunder screwed himself over without realizing it. “Hey... can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” He smiled, leaning his chin on the palms of his hands. His knees knocked against hers, his eyelashes batting at her, inviting her to swim in his irises. “Anything.”
“What’s ‘the incident’?”
G.O frowned, not fully comprehending her question. “What?”
“‘The incident’. Apparently it was something that happened between Yura and Seungho a while ago. It was... the thing that cause Seungho to start dating that chick.” Chan tried to recall everything Thunder had told her. “Thunder said I better not ask about it, but-,”
“You’re curious.” He finished her sentence. His eyes casted downwards, his hands locking together as he thought about her words for a couple of moments. “It isn’t something... any of us like to remember. It took a lot to move on from. Even for myself who wasn’t even involved in it, my brain took a lot to process what had just happened. If it took me a while, I can only imagine just how long it took Seungho and Yura to recuperate.”
The Guatemalan girl’s fists tightened, her face turning into a frown.
G.O’s hand extended forward, placing his fingers under her chin and raising it up. He gave her a smile. “Cheer up. I’ll tell you on our fourth date.”
She grimaced. “But we’ve only gone out once! And I don’t think it even counts as a date...”
He laughed. “That’s why I told you to go out with me since the beginning! I could’ve told you everything about the incident by now. It was your choice.”
Chan couldn’t get upset at him, he knew how to lift up her spirits. “Fine.”
“Is that a, ‘fine, I agree to go out with you this Friday’, or just a ‘fine’?” He grinned.
Her face broke into a smile. “That’s a, ‘fine, I agree to go out with you this Friday.”
He clapped his hands together, giving himself a couple of pats in the back. “I knew you would break her, good job G.O, good job!”
Chan laughed.
“Hello darling, how was work today?”
Chan’s mouth dropped the moment she saw her roommate slam the door open to her office, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. “Your hair...”
“What do you think?” Yura grinned, twirling a strand of it with her index finger. Her hair had made a 360 degree turn for the... lighter. The once bright red had now turned into a baby pink, long strands straightened down the girl’s back. Cute bangs now covered her forehead, her long eyelashes almost touching the tips. “Sorry I lied to you, in reality I spent the entire day at the hair salon getting it bleached and colored. It took forever so I had to take the rest of the day off.”
“It’s fine, it’s just,” The brunette grinned. “Such a change.”
“But do you like it?” Yura pouted.
“I do! I really do.” Chan gave her a confident smile, picking up her bag and swinging it across her shoulder. “It suits you.”
“Thank you.” The newly pink-haired girl beamed at her in return. “I hope work wasn’t too boring for you.”
“Nah, it wasn’t. I had some company for a while.”
They started walking out of the room, Chan making sure to lock it behind them as they made their way down the hall. By the time it was six, G.O had left to go work, dropping her back at the office with a peck on the cheek and a smile on her face.
“Who kept you company?” She glanced at the girl.
“G.O...” Chan muttered. “And Thunder...”
Yura frowned. “Thunder? He was here?”
“Yeah.”
They clicked the elevator button. “What’d he say?”
“He said to tell you, ‘it’s okay’.” Chan looked down at her shoes.
“What the hell is that even supposed to mean?” She scowled, shaking her head.
The Guatemalan frowned back. “Right? That’s what I said!”
“Ah! Hold the elevator!” A voice echoed throughout the hall, Yura placing her hand in front of the door before they closed. Chan’s eyes met Seungho’s. This wasn’t going to go well. She turned to look at Yura, who was also intently watching him from the side. The doors closed.
“Thanks,” He muttered, standing as far as possible as he could.
Chan’s eyes twitched upward. They sure knew how to make someone feel like the third, most uncomfortable wheel. “So, Seungho, how’s it hanging?”
Yura shot her a look. She ignored it.
“Good.” Seungho was so backed against the wall she could swear he was aiming to blend into it. He’s eyes flickered at Yura. “Your hair...”
Chan nodded to herself. She might as well be invisible.
The pink-haired girl twisted a strand of her hair with her index finger. “It’s pink.”
The brunette forced herself not to roll her eyes. ‘No shit.’
The elevator beeped as it went down.
“I thought your favorite color was red.” He replied, standing up.
The doors opened, but none of them moved until Yura looked him straight in the eye, giving him a smile the brunette nor him were expecting. “Funny. I thought it was yours too.”
And with that, she walked away.
She pushed the door open, locking it and exiting towards the hallway, her eyes roaming from door to door figuring out where she could go. The only door she could recognize was the recording studio, a sleek, black, metal frame with a silver handle. She figured she could sit in there and chat with the producer for a while, finding out a month after they met for the first time that he was actually fluent in English and exceptionally nice.
Chan pushed the door open, her eyes meeting the gaze of a dark-headed boy who was sitting on the producer’s chair, a smile curling on his lips the moment he saw her. He slipped his headphones down, giving her a small wave. “You didn’t text me back.”
She smirked. “You never texted me again.”
“Because you didn’t text me back!” He rolled his chair next to the couch, patting the seat down for her. “How come you’re not working?”
She plopped down on the couch, taking advantage that it was only the two of them and crossing her legs indian style. “Yura didn’t come, so I have nothing to do.”
“How come? She usually doesn’t skip.” He raised an eyebrow. “Well, okay, she sometimes does, but hardly ever.”
“She,” Chan thought about her answer for a moment. “got sick.”
“Sick?”
“Sick.”
“Does this have anything to do with why Thunder didn’t come home two nights ago?” G.O gave her a smirk. He wasn’t stupid and she couldn’t fool him.
“Well,” She nodded.
“Figured.” He sighed. “When I came home that day there was a mighty pissed Seungho waiting by the front door. I was sure he was about to lash out at me. The moment he asked if I knew where Thunder was I knew I was in the safe zone.”
“I can just imagine what kind of beating he took once he got home.” Chan raised her eyebrows.
“It wasn’t pretty.” He chuckled. “But he at least took it like a man. Seungho showed no mercy, but I wouldn’t either if one of my best friend’s was interested in a girl I used to love.”
“So Seungho knows?” This was brand new information. Then again, Chan wasn’t that surprised. Seungho wasn’t exactly stupid.
“He knew from the beginning.” G.O leaned back on his seat. “From the moment Yura stepped into South Korea, Seungho knew Thunder was attracted to her.”
“And he still went for it with Yura?”
G.O shook his head. “Not at first. But Thunder at that time was starting his solo debut so he was too busy to take care of Yura. So he left it to Seungho, the guy he trusted above all of us, to take care of her. And that’s just how it went. It just... happened.”
“Huh...” Chan sighed at the irony. Thunder screwed himself over without realizing it. “Hey... can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” He smiled, leaning his chin on the palms of his hands. His knees knocked against hers, his eyelashes batting at her, inviting her to swim in his irises. “Anything.”
“What’s ‘the incident’?”
G.O frowned, not fully comprehending her question. “What?”
“‘The incident’. Apparently it was something that happened between Yura and Seungho a while ago. It was... the thing that cause Seungho to start dating that chick.” Chan tried to recall everything Thunder had told her. “Thunder said I better not ask about it, but-,”
“You’re curious.” He finished her sentence. His eyes casted downwards, his hands locking together as he thought about her words for a couple of moments. “It isn’t something... any of us like to remember. It took a lot to move on from. Even for myself who wasn’t even involved in it, my brain took a lot to process what had just happened. If it took me a while, I can only imagine just how long it took Seungho and Yura to recuperate.”
The Guatemalan girl’s fists tightened, her face turning into a frown.
G.O’s hand extended forward, placing his fingers under her chin and raising it up. He gave her a smile. “Cheer up. I’ll tell you on our fourth date.”
She grimaced. “But we’ve only gone out once! And I don’t think it even counts as a date...”
He laughed. “That’s why I told you to go out with me since the beginning! I could’ve told you everything about the incident by now. It was your choice.”
Chan couldn’t get upset at him, he knew how to lift up her spirits. “Fine.”
“Is that a, ‘fine, I agree to go out with you this Friday’, or just a ‘fine’?” He grinned.
Her face broke into a smile. “That’s a, ‘fine, I agree to go out with you this Friday.”
He clapped his hands together, giving himself a couple of pats in the back. “I knew you would break her, good job G.O, good job!”
Chan laughed.
“Hello darling, how was work today?”
Chan’s mouth dropped the moment she saw her roommate slam the door open to her office, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. “Your hair...”
“What do you think?” Yura grinned, twirling a strand of it with her index finger. Her hair had made a 360 degree turn for the... lighter. The once bright red had now turned into a baby pink, long strands straightened down the girl’s back. Cute bangs now covered her forehead, her long eyelashes almost touching the tips. “Sorry I lied to you, in reality I spent the entire day at the hair salon getting it bleached and colored. It took forever so I had to take the rest of the day off.”
“It’s fine, it’s just,” The brunette grinned. “Such a change.”
“But do you like it?” Yura pouted.
“I do! I really do.” Chan gave her a confident smile, picking up her bag and swinging it across her shoulder. “It suits you.”
“Thank you.” The newly pink-haired girl beamed at her in return. “I hope work wasn’t too boring for you.”
“Nah, it wasn’t. I had some company for a while.”
They started walking out of the room, Chan making sure to lock it behind them as they made their way down the hall. By the time it was six, G.O had left to go work, dropping her back at the office with a peck on the cheek and a smile on her face.
“Who kept you company?” She glanced at the girl.
“G.O...” Chan muttered. “And Thunder...”
Yura frowned. “Thunder? He was here?”
“Yeah.”
They clicked the elevator button. “What’d he say?”
“He said to tell you, ‘it’s okay’.” Chan looked down at her shoes.
“What the hell is that even supposed to mean?” She scowled, shaking her head.
The Guatemalan frowned back. “Right? That’s what I said!”
“Ah! Hold the elevator!” A voice echoed throughout the hall, Yura placing her hand in front of the door before they closed. Chan’s eyes met Seungho’s. This wasn’t going to go well. She turned to look at Yura, who was also intently watching him from the side. The doors closed.
“Thanks,” He muttered, standing as far as possible as he could.
Chan’s eyes twitched upward. They sure knew how to make someone feel like the third, most uncomfortable wheel. “So, Seungho, how’s it hanging?”
Yura shot her a look. She ignored it.
“Good.” Seungho was so backed against the wall she could swear he was aiming to blend into it. He’s eyes flickered at Yura. “Your hair...”
Chan nodded to herself. She might as well be invisible.
The pink-haired girl twisted a strand of her hair with her index finger. “It’s pink.”
The brunette forced herself not to roll her eyes. ‘No shit.’
The elevator beeped as it went down.
“I thought your favorite color was red.” He replied, standing up.
The doors opened, but none of them moved until Yura looked him straight in the eye, giving him a smile the brunette nor him were expecting. “Funny. I thought it was yours too.”
And with that, she walked away.