𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 | 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐚𝐲

17: pre-runway looks

"Yahhhh, Heeseung-ssi! You are really good!" Seonhui clapped furiously as he walked down the runway, "We won't need to teach you much more, will we?"

"Thank you, ma'am," Heeseung bowed shyly and congregated with the others. They were laughing and teasing Heeseung's free compliment. 

"Hyung!" Ni-ki called out, "You know, we haven't started rehearsal yet."

I snorted at his comment and unflatteringly enough, it echoed around the room. 

Their laughs were disrupted and now they were staring at me with confused eyes. I felt like a goldfish in a koi pond. We were all the same but I really didn't fit in. Even Seonhui paused to give me a side eye. 

"I- uhh," I stuttered but just apologised embarrassingly. My cheeks were red with blood. If there was anything more nerve wracking than being around a bunch of boys it's when they looked at you collectively. You didn't know whether it's out of admiration or judgement. In this case it was neither. I should have withered away into the shadows... 

"Let's continue..." Seonhui announced in a less happy tone.

Great, I also killed the mood. 

The last three marched their way onto the stage in waistcoats over a white polo. Each had a different style and a matching tie. Jaeyun's was a light grey, checkered coat with matching pants. In contrast, he had a dark burgundy tie which complemented him well. Sunghoon wore a faded blue coat that was also check. The neck hung lightly lower with a more curved cut. With it: a thin baby blue tie. I could tell he enjoyed wearing it, due to his hidden confidence and playful smirk. 

Jay wore a beige waistcoat with a boutonnière (a small flower in the chest pocket). It was a strange colour to see in a waistcoat, but suited him nonetheless. Unlike the others, he wore his without a tie and his collar open. It was pulled apart slightly, exposing some of his collar bones. I admired the way he worked the look. Not arrogant, but proud. I was sure it made him age about ten years, because I almost didn't recognise the blonde from an hour ago. 

"There they are, the wonderful 02z," Seonhui weeped with pride. They all posed together jokingly before walk down towards the other. As they talked to each other, they complimented themselves and each other on how they looked. It was obvious that they hadn't done this thing before. It surprised me since they all fit naturally in this setting. 

Visuals, character and style. They could even be idols one day. 

"02z?" I pondered on the sudden nickname. 

"We're all born in 2002. So we call ourselves the 02 line," Sunghoon explained with a proud smile. 

"Ahhh, I see,"

"Oh, Hyerin-ah. Aren't you an 02 as well?" Seonhui turned to me in question. I nodded in response and the boys were shocked.

"I thought she was like a 97 line or something," Sunoo whispered. Ni-ki elbowed him in the stomach after noticing that I heard him say that but I laughed it off.

"Yes, I'm an 02. February 1st," I replied, "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or embarrassed that you thought I was older."

"Sorry, our younger ones are quite open minded," Heeseung apologised although he didn't need to, "You look.. good for your age."

"Ah~ Thankyou," 

The atmosphere was thicc. 

"She does doesn't she? She ages well, just like me. Don't you think boys?" Seonhui pointed at her face and smiled glowingly as if expecting a hundred compliments. Instead she got a round of forced 'yes's and nods. 

Amongst the awkward chatter, a voice made its way outward to cut the mood.

"It should flatter you, Hyerin-ssi. For me personally... Older girls seem more mature. I like that," Jay seemed very deep in thought and went on about how it should be a compliment. I felt much better about the comment, but was now unsure why he needed to expand further. Was he hinting at something? 

"Jay-ah, so sudden?" Sunghoon chimed, "Someone put extra sugar in his coffee this morning."

"Don't look at me, I just followed hyung's instructions!" Sunoo pleaded not guilty as he bickered with Sunghoon. It started a large discussion about how much sugar you should put in regualar coffee. It was completely random and I was surprised that there was so much to say about such a minute thing. It was clear these boys were very well aquainted and close with each other. 

It was a nice thing to see for people I hadn't met before, but at the same time: I was my father's daughter. A business woman in the making. Time was running out and we needed to crack on with rehearsal. Luckily, Seonhui and I had similar mindsets. 

"Let's all agree here. Any amount of sugar is good in coffee if it makes the drinker enjoy it. But you know what I would enjoy more? Is if you were on that stage, rehearsing. So let's go shall we?" Seonhui instructed passive aggressively, "Now!"