Simple | IM JAEBUM

ii.

Gif isn't mine.

*

"Wipe that look off your face."

Seonjae smiled, leaning forward on her board. "The look of unparalleled, otherworldly beauty?"

She could only imagine Jin-oppa's reaction as Insik said. "That's a spider's smile. Stop."

Her wheels grated against the asphalt as she pivoted, but continued in the same direction, keeping that spider's smile. "What's Got7 like?"

Never mind that they were going to the MV set and would meet them soon anyway. Whenever her brain caught up to that, Seonjae had a sense of her bones being gripped, like the air in the morning after a cold shower-and then she withdrew to every other thought to escape it.

"No," Sly brown eyes met hers. "It ruins the fun if you know what you're dealing with."

She scowled. "I could easily shove you off that skateboard."

"As easy as you would psychoanalyse the boys, I'm sure."

Seonjae felt a sense of wanting to turn away, to act innocent and scheme to escape this encounter somehow. She wasn't afraid of Got7; it simply seemed strange to be officially meeting them like this-

Excuses, a voice whispered in her ear.

So Seonjae squared her shoulders and stopped at the top of the stairs, overlooking the set of the A music video.

The term orderly mess came to mind. Wires were kept out of cameras' view, staff members shuffled across the park, and Insik, speaking to a girl at the landing of the stairs, remained oblivious to the attention he was beginning to get.

He caught her eye and beckoned her down eagerly. Seonjae frowned at how that tugged at her stomach, wondering how quickly Got7 would realize the sway this guy held over her, and how they would use that to their benefit when she pisses them off.

"This is Sana from Twice," he said. "I collaborated with her group often before teaming up with Got7. Sana-san, this is Lee Seonjae, my pair in Big Hit High-and Got7's new partner."

"Small world," Sana offered a gentle, polite smile, bowing. "Welcome to JYP Academy, Blade-ssi."

Something in Seonjae's chest cracked at the sound of her alias, but she mustered a smile of her own, bowing. "Arigato, Sana-san."

A rather nerdy move, but one well-met, because Sana was blinking when she rose upright again. "That's right... you're multilingual."

"Nerd." Insik coughed.

While still smiling at Sana, Seonjae smacked him square in the chest, and he doubled over. "I would like to stay and talk, but Jinyoung-oppa would not let me live if I didn't follow his instructions. I have a debut to cry over."

Sana tried to hide her giggle, nodding. "Do well, unnie!"

"That went better than I expected. You didn't cringe," Insik murmured when they strode off, out of earshot. "Although that dismissal was almost polite."

There were too many almosts in that exchange alone. "If I couldn't act like an extrovert on cue, then that would mean going back to acting school. And you know I'd massacre everyone there for spare change."

Insik made a sound of confirmation, craning his head. "Let's see, where's Jae-"

A bright head emerged between them, making Seonjae and Insik jerk in opposite directions. Seonjae blinked, and then there was Bambam gaping at her. "Lee Seonjae-ssi! What are you doing here?"