The following day went by in a blur as Sei once more found himself in a whirlwhind of rehearsal and filming on set, Wei's words from last night ringing in his mind.
Every chance he had gotten to try and talk with Suzy was futile, as the actress was either swept away by the staff or had orders given by Director Jung-hyo. In the end, he could only go with the flow of the rehearsal.
The warm afternoon rays of the sun shone through the windows of the set that they were filming in, Sei and Suzy stood on the set, the tension from their previous encounter still lingering between them like an unspoken question. Sei decided that this was finally the time to talk to her and clear things up.
Sei slowly made his way to her. "No-"
"Sei-ssi, Suzy-ssi, can I have a moment with you two?" Director Lee called out, gesturing for them to join him.
With a deep sigh releasing from his mouth, the pair exchanged a nervous glance before following the director to a quieter corner of the set.
"Listen, I know things might have felt a bit... intense during the last scene," Director Lee began, choosing his words carefully. "But I want to assure you both that your chemistry on screen is incredible. That being said, I understand that there may have been a few misunderstandings, I have a keen eye, you know. It's best the two you clear these tension that you both have before we begin filming."
Sei and Suzy nodded, grateful for the director's understanding and the oppurtunity he had given. They exchanged a brief glance, silently acknowledging the need to address the subject.
"Thank you, Director Lee," Suzy spoke up, her voice steady. "Sei-ssi and I will take care of it."
With a reassuring nod from the director, Sei and Suzy stepped away to have their conversation. They found a quiet corner of the set and sat down, the weight of their unspoken emotions hanging heavy in the air.
"Suzy-noona, about yesterday..." Sei began, his voice hesitant. "I just wanted to say that..."
Suzy reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Sei, it's okay. I understand that things got a bit... intense. But I think we both know, that yesterday was all acting, right? No feelings involved whatsoever."
Sei nodded, relief flooding through him. "Thank you, Suzy-noona. I was worried that I might have crossed a line."
Suzy offered him a warm smile. "You didn't. We're professionals, and our job is to bring these characters to life. Let's focus on delivering the best performance we can. Besides, there's more scenes like those coming our way, we shouldn't let it get in our way y'know, it's best to learn from your experienced noona, araseo?"
With a puff of her chest in confidence, a small chuckle escaped Sei's lips as he stared at her, giving a nod in response. "Araseo, noona."
With their conversation out of the way, and the air of tension between them finally cleared, Sei made his way back on set, a little skip in his step, not noticing the look that Suzy was giving him, as she stared at his figure.
The crew got back immediately to filming, sith each scene they filmed, Sei and Suzy's chemistry only seemed to grow stronger. Their performances were effortless, each moment filled with genuine emotion and authenticity. The director watched with pride as his actors played their perfectly, especially Sei, who even though was a rookie actor, was doing better than most.
He couldn't wait for what the world would think when the drama would finally be released.
---
After a successful day of filming, Sei made a big stretch, evidently tired from the day's activities. Quickly remembering that he still had one person who he has not made up with.
Yujinnie
5:45 p.m
yujin-ah~
send me a live loc of ur dorm
please
[cat pleading sticker]
wae?
[multiple cat pleading stickers]
aish
araseo
Yujinnie has sent a live location
gomawo
dont eat dinner, araseo?
eh?
wae?
yah
yah minatozaki sei
dont leave me on read
YAH!
As the sun began to set, Sei chuckled as he turned off his phone, heading straight for his manager to inform him of his plans. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Suzy making his way over to him.
"Sei-ah!" She called out as she got near, a smile on her face. "Want to go for some tteokbokki?"
"Ah, mianhe noona." He replied with a sheepish smile. "I'm visiting a friend today, I'll be having dinner there, next time?"
A somber smile made it's way onto Suzy's face, offering back a nod "Mmm, araseo~ I'll hold you to it, ok?"
"Neee~" He replied with a goofy smile "I gotta go now noona, bye-bye, take care!"
With a small wave, Sei rushed off to his van, entering it whilst talking with his manager, alll the while, Suzy looked at his disappearing figure, longing written all over her face.
"Haah~ What is this feeling?"
---
"Hyung, can we go here?" Sei asked Mr. Son, showing him the location on his phone.
A look of surprise made it's way onto Mr. Son's face, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Sei. "And where exactly is this, hm?"
"Ah, IVE's dorm..." Sei replied sheepishly.
"Oh? Are you close with one of their members?" He asked.
"Ne, Yujin-sunbae, I planned on having dinner with them, so I made some food." He gestured to the bento boxes he had left in the van earlier
"Hmm, so that's what it was for." Mr. Son voiced out, nodding. "Are you sure you're not dating, Yujin?"
A flustered look arose on Sei's face, his words stuttering "A-aniii, we're just really close friends, promise!"
A knowing smile grew on Mr. Son's face "Araseo~ Young kids these days, anyways, make sure to be careful, ok? We wouldn't want Dispatch to suddenly catch you and brew up a scandal."
"Ne, hyung!" Sei replied eagerly, putting on a mask and cap as they made their way to IVE's dormitory, his phone buzzing with notifications from Yujin.
---
Yujin paced frantically around the living room of their dorm, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as she waited for Sei's response. Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo watched her with puzzled expressions, exchanging glances as they tried to decipher her unusual behavior.
"Yujin, what's wrong? Why are you pacing like that?" Gaeul asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Yeah, did something happen?" Rei chimed in, her brows furrowed in confusion.
Yujin paused mid-step, turning to face her fellow members with a worried expression. "It's Sei, uh, Divinity's maknae... He asked for our live location and told me not to eat dinner. I don't know why, but it feels like something urgent is going on."
The room fell silent as the other members processed Yujin's words. Wonyoung furrowed her brows, deep in thought. "Wait you mean, Minatozaki Sei? Sana-unnie's little brother."
"Yeah..." Yujin responded with a frantic nod.
"Since when did you two get close?" Rei asked, mischief written all over her face "Oooh, are you two dating, unnie?"
"Aish, it's not like that!" Yujin replied, a bit irritated, although a small part of her hoped.
"Well... It is a bit confusing..." Gaeul interjected. "Perhaps, a surprise visit? Did anything happen recently?"
Liz nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that could be it. Sei seems like the type to act on impulse."
Yujin listed the things that had happened between them in her head, other than receiving an album from him recently, the only other thing was their interaction last night...
Realization set on Yujin's face.
Leeseo shrugged, offering her own speculation, unaware of Yujin's realization. "Or maybe he's in trouble? You never know, maybe he actually needs help with something important."
As they continued to offer their theories, the doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting their conversation. Yujin's heart skipped a beat as she rushed to answer it, her mind racing.
Opening the door, Yujin was greeted by the sight of Sei standing on the doorstep, a sheepish smile on his face as he held up multiple bento boxes.
"Sei-ah?" Yujin blinked in surprise, her voice tinged with confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Sei scratched the back of his head, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Uh, surprise? I brought dinner!"
The members of IVE crowded around the doorway, their eyes widening in shock as they took in Sei's unexpected visit. Rei was the first to speak up, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Omo, free food?!" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
Sei shrugged, offering them a boyish grin. "I wanted to visit Yujin-sunbae and the rest of you. I made some food, so I thought I'd share."
The members of IVE exchanged stunned glances, struggling to process Sei's sudden appearance. Gaeul was the first to recover, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Well, don't just stand there! Come in, come in!" she exclaimed, stepping aside to let Sei into their dorm.
With a warm smile, Sei stepped inside, greeted by the curious gazes of Yujin and the rest of IVE. As they settled in for dinner, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and chatter, the tension from earlier forgotten in the warmth of their shared company.
As Sei settled in with the members of IVE for dinner, he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention. Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo introduced themselves one by one, each offering a warm welcome to their unexpected guest.
"Annyeonghaseyo..." He shyly began. "It's nice to finally meet all of you."
"Annyeonghaseyo, I'm Gaeul," Gaeul said with a bright smile, extending her hand to Sei. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sei-oppa!"
Rei followed suit, her playful demeanor evident as she shook Sei's hand. "Rei here! Welcome to our humble abode, Sei-ssi. Hope you brought enough food for all of us!"
Wonyoung smiled shyly as she introduced herself, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Hi, I'm Wonyoung. It's nice to meet you, Sei-oppa. Thank you for bringing dinner!"
Liz offered Sei a polite nod as she introduced herself. "I'm Liz. Welcome to our dorm, Sei-ssi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Leeseo was the last to introduce herself, her expression friendly as she greeted Sei. "And I'm Leeseo. Thanks for coming over, Sei-oppa. We're glad to have you here."
Sei nodded in acknowledgment, although he already knew all of them, he was a DIVE after all. As they settled in for dinner, Sei couldn't help but notice Wonyoung's curious gaze lingering on him.
"Ah, speaking of which, Wonyoung-sunbae," Sei said, reaching into his bag and pulling out an album of IVE. "Can I you sign this for me? I've been a fan for awhile."
Wonyoung's eyes widened in surprise as she took the album from Sei, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Oh, um, sure! I'd be happy to."
Yujin's eyes narrowed as she watched the interaction, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Yah, Minatozaki Sei, wasn't I your bias?!"
Sei chuckled, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Hmm, I never said that~"
"Yah!" The rest of the members laughing at Yujin's plight.
As Wonyoung signed the album, the members of IVE engaged in lively conversation with Sei, exchanging stories and laughter as they enjoyed their meal together. Rei couldn't help but tease Yujin, nudging her playfully as Sei prepared to leave.
"You know, Yujin-unnie, I think Sei-oppa likes you," Rei teased, winking at her as they watched Sei gatherhis things from afar.
"Ani, your wrong Rei-ah, it's Wony that Sei likes!" Gaeul interjected.
"E-Eh?" Wonyoung flushes in embarassment. "Jinjja...?
Yujin rolled her eyes, swatting at Rei playfully. "Don't be ridiculous, Rei, Gauel. Sei-ah, thank you for coming over. Hmph, the food was amazing, I'll accept this apology."
Sei flashed her a charming smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Anytime, Yujinnie. Although, I still don't understand what I did wrong..."
With a final wave goodbye, Sei bid farewell to the members of IVE, feeling grateful for the unexpected bond he had formed with them. Yujin watched as Sei entered into the van that was waiting for him, a small voice echoing in her heart, hoping that what had Rei said was true.
Perhaps she really had grown fond of him, maybe that was why she had gotten jealous over the kissing scene between him and Suzy. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes also watched from afar as Sei left their dorm, an unknown thought rising within her.
---
"How did it go?" Mr. Son asked as he looked at Sei ffom his front mirror.
"It went well, hyung." Sei replied happily "Yujin-sunbae accepted my apology dinner."
A hearty laugh escaped Mr. Son's lips "And what did you do this time, hm?"
"Haaah~ I don't know, hyung..." He stared at the night sky as they drove past various buildings.
"Women are confusing..."
END
Chapter 17 finally out! Sorry it took awhile, school had me in a chokehold.
Hope you guys enjoy, leavd some feedback as well.
Also, we reached around 5k+ reads (I think, I haven't checked again yet), woohoo!
Thank you for all your support, everyone! Helps keep me going.
Enjoy!