Entranced

The Climactic End

The worst thing a person can do after a particularly shocking turn of events is to pretend it never happened. Why?

It makes other people suspect that you had a reason to downplay it, like you don't want them to worry because you've got everything under control.

Maybe they might even think that you had anticipated the said incident, and will feel that you could even be a willing accomplice in the whole thing.

And then it makes them lose a bit of respect for you because if you had expected something like that to have happened, then it has happened before.

Hyejeong didn't want anyone to find out that Taewoon had been trying to get her to be with him all this time. With her impending departure now in hours, she didn't want them to feel any sort of disrespect towards the man who had led them and cared for them this whole time. It would be a shame to have them think of him uncertainly just because he had kissed her, because she had had a hand in spurning him to do so. It takes two hands to clap, as people say, and in this applause, both she and Taewoon had clapped moments too late from the rest.

Still, as she walked through the double doors of the mess hall, Hyejeong expected to have to be bombarded with a million nosy questions as to how and why she was coping with Taewoon's public display of love. People – as she had learned in her lessons on handling public relations – involved the paparazzi, fellow chaebols, and any 'friends' who would want to leverage on her moments of insecurity to reveal more of her secrets. Most people would have already considered such an act to be something along the lines of a scandal, if this were to happen to her back in high society.

While a part of her thought it as too dramatic, Hyejeong was still partly afraid, and was hastily creating neutral responses to the questions she was anticipating even as she raised her hand in greeting.

Instead, what greeted her was Solbin's triumphant voice, calling out to the rest of the members. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, can we have another round of bets!" she was yelling, "Who is your final paaaaaair!"

I should have known, she thought with a little smile, they're not like most people.

That was the good thing when she was not Hyejeong. And also the fact that with so many unconventional back stories the members had, they had learned to never judge others over trivial matters.

The long table of people was lively, responding with a cacophony of loud stomping, table slamming, cutlery tinkling, and the classic accompaniment of cheers and bellows, guffawing at the sight of Hyejeong, who had taken one look at them and burst into embarrassed laughter.

"There she is, the Cirque's it girl!" Jaehyo hollered, "The dark horse, the smoky-eyed wonder, who holds the hearts of even the most broken-hearted, or most careful of men, Eun Mi-seol!"

She rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks turn hot.

I'm pretty sure he meant Kyung and Taewoon.

Yuhwan shook his head. "You make it sound like she's a player."

"That is true," she agreed, thankful for the welcome reply.

Jaehyo laughed. "What is drama without actual dramatic flair?"

Yukwon scoffed.

This is why living in the cirque opens your eyes, she thought, waving away waggling eyebrows and teasing smirks as she walked to the banquet table of food, no one cares if you're wearing pajamas after a particularly painful bout of training, or the fact that there's random dancing on tables, or even the fact that their own friends have brawled over one girl.