After a whole week stacked with back-to-back variety show schedules, your group finally got into preparing for the comeback. Your schedules were filled with choreography practice and vocal practice, with hardly enough time for you to breathe.
In all the chaos, Soo Jin, despite her apology, started slowly criticizing you for everything again. Whenever Ji Woo argued back in support of you, Soo Jin would turn on her, reducing Ji Woo to a sobbing mess. You put it down to being the stress of a comeback, but the resentment in your heart grew by the day.
Why couldn't Soo Jin just be nice?
During the whole comeback practice, you still managed to spend time with Hoseok, with Eunji giving you company as well. Being your back up dancer, she had much more time on your hands than you did, and would occasionally even play the part of a manager, fetching drinks, ordering food, and whatever other things you or a group member needed.
You sighed tiredly, a call from Hoseok snapping you out of your thoughts. You answered, stifling a yawn. You winced as an impossibly energetic voice blasted in your ear.
"Y/N-ah! Eunji-ssi and I are waiting for you, come fast!"
You, Hoseok and Eunji had made it a habit of meeting up at any one of the dance studios after Hoseok's and your practice was finished. Once you were all there, you'd stroll around the building, talking to your hearts content about whatever you wished.
You sighed and assured Hoseok that you were coming before cutting the call and slowly trudging out your room. You were incredibly tired, more so than other days. Your comeback was approaching, and your dance instructor had taken it as reason to push you and Seo Yoon harder during practice, reasoning that you both had to be absolutely stunning on stage as you danced to live up to your titles as the dancers of the group.
However, it had left your body feeling incredibly sore and it hurt to move. You badly wanted to turn back and just burrow yourself into your sheets, but you also knew Hoseok would continue calling you until you came.
You stepped out of the elevator and made a beeline towards the only practice room that was in use. You stepped in to see Hoseok and Eunji staring at each other extremely awkwardly. You frowned.
"Is everything okay?"
At the sound of your voice, both heads snapped towards you, Eunji's face reddening. You didn't understand at all. What was going on? Before you could ask again, Hoseok flashed you an easy, relaxed smile, erasing all traces of his previous awkwardness.
"The silence was just getting weird. Y/N-ah, seriously, what took you so long?"
Your gaze flitted from Hoseok to Eunji, trying to figure out what was happening. You were sure you'd hear about it from Eunji later, but the curiosity was killing you. Eunji smiled, but didn't quite manage to make it look as natural and easy as Hoseok. She let out a stammering laugh.
"Yeah... we don't really have much to talk about when you're not here. But actually, I think I'll go to my room now. I.. don't really feel that great."
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"I might be coming down with something. I should rest. You both can hang out, though, don't mind me."
Without waiting for a reply, she hurried past you and out the door, disappearing in almost an instant. You turned to Hoseok with a bewildered expression.
"Alright, what's going on?"
Hoseok shrugged.
"You heard her. She said she was sick."
You raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not an idiot, okay? Something happened when I wasn't here."
Hoseok sighed and raked a hand through his now caramel hair.
"Eunji-ssi just confessed."
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Hoseok watched after you as you rushed to comfort Eunji. He sighed. He knew you'd probably never notice him, but he couldn't stop feeling the way he did about you. You were a wonderful person, and he loved that you could enjoy dancing just as much as he did. It was, after all, his biggest joy and pride, and it felt wonderful to have you there and share that emotion with him. As much as Jimin or Jungkook enjoyed dance, the passion that you shared with him was on a different level, only something that people as passionate as yourself or Hoseok could understand.
And it wasn't just your passion for dance that had his stomach performing backflips every time he was around you. It was your incredible personality. The first person Taehyung had approached after Soo Jin had landed you in the infirmary was Hoseok, and so he knew everything that you were holding in, refusing to tell anyone for Soo Jin's sake, though she had harmed you in so many ways.
Hoseok still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Tae was still with Soo Jin, even after hearing about her horrible personality. The poor puppy had fallen too deeply in love. Just as he himself had. Except, when he watched you, and how incredibly gentle you were with everyone else, he knew he wouldn't face a scenario like Taehyung had.
And that just made him fall harder.
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You woke up in the morning, pain shooting through your limbs. You'd stayed with Eunji late into the night until she had finally calmed down and drifted off to sleep, her pillow damp with hysterical tears. You felt really bad for her. You could still remember clear as day when you found out you didn't have a chance with Tae, and you could imagine how Eunji felt about Hoseok.
Though Eunji had never explicitly mentioned it, you noticed from the way she talked about Hoseok or looked at him that she had started liking him. In fact, if you yourself weren't so infatuated with Tae, you were sure you'd fall head over heels for him too. The man was irresistible.
However, you also knew that Eunji would eventually get over it. Eunji was always less emotionally invested in the guys she liked than you were. It would take her a week, at tops, for her to forget and return to normal.
You quickly got ready and hurried to your practice room, ignoring the sneer Soo Jin gave you as you entered. Moments later, your instructor entered and you started your practice. All thoughts about Hoseok, Tae, Soo Jin and Eunji melted away as you fell into rhythm with the beats. Your group had started practicing with mics while dancing, so you'd get used to always having one hand occupied in the actual stage performance. As if the choreography wasn't already hard enough, you had to focus so that the mic didn't fly from your grasp.
By the time you were on the third time practicing the same song, your shirt was already soaked from the effort and your head was pounding. You were desperate for a break, but knew you wouldn't get one for a while. Gritting your teeth, you pushed yourself as hard as you could, trying to keep up your energy.
You made a mental note to ask Hoseok how he managed to keep up his energy despite his obvious lack of sleep.
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Taehyung stared at his phone, waiting for a reply. He'd just sprung a theory on Soo Jin, one he'd told you a week or so ago, about his interpretation of rainbows. Soo Jin had unenthusiastically answered that she thought it was brilliant and that he should definitely tell her more of his theories whenever he thought of them.
However, Taehyung could practically taste her insincerity even through a screen. He didn't like it. At all. Lately, Soo Jin had been opting to spend time with him only when he was with Jungkook or the other boys. And while she was with him and the others, she'd constantly bat her eyelids at Jungkook in a way that made both Taehyung and Jungkook extremely uncomfortable.
He didn't understand why Soo Jin had gone to such lengths to date Taehyung if she liked Jungkook better.
Sighing, he switched off his phone, and curled up into a ball, trying to get some sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's a hint to you why Soo Jin was lying and avoiding Tae. Why she was lying and trying to flirt with Jungkook will be revealed pretty darn soon.
Which means like.
3 or 4 chapters.
Hehe.
Don't kill me.
(I'd like to hear theories though)
(Ok bye I'm out)