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It’s amazing how long Nayoung has lived in Seoul without running into a Seventeen member. Actually physically running into them. Not counting seeing a CF of whatever skincare brand they’re currently advertising for. Or hearing Aju Nice at a sporting event. Or Boo Seungkwan drunk calling her. Seeing them face to face. Or more accurately seeing a certain leader face to face.
They never dated. Not really. Not unless you count trauma bonding in Pledis’s melona basement. Or sneaking each other snacks when the other was dieting. And maybe she didn’t have to use her lips to clean the crumbs of said snacks off his pout, but she did every time without fail. And not unless you count the midnight walks and ramyeon along the river. And making out in music show bathrooms. And introducing her to his parents.
Okay maybe they did kinda date, but they never made it official. And you can’t break up if you were never really dating in the first place.
So why is Choi Seungcheol standing between her and the JTBC building’s elevators right now of all times?
Thankfully he’s looking at his phone and hasn’t noticed her walk in yet. Should she…?
A.) act like she doesn’t see him and speed walk past
B.) turn around and exit the building forever
C.) call her manager for backup
D.) turn into a literal rock
Everyone! Please vote now on your hand phones! Vote for your girl!
The voice in her head sounds suspiciously like MC Jang Keun-suk, but Nayoung chooses to ignore that.
She debates between options A and D for a minute before deciding to be an adult and keep walking. If he notices her, he notices her. Although, with every step she makes towards him, option B looks more and more appealing.
Just when she thinks she’s in the clear, Seungcheol looks up.
“Huh? Nayoung?”
“Ah. S.Coups sunbaenim. Hello.”
Nayoung keeps her voice professional and her speech formal. Stage names are good for that sort of thing; separating the idol persona from the person underneath. Anyone passing by would think they’re casual acquaintances and not two people who know each other way too intimately.
“Congrats on your comeback.” Seungcheol seems thrown off by her formality, but keeps his composure and throws the formal speech right back.
Fine. Two can play at this game.
“Congrats on your subunit. The mini album is great.” She hasn’t listened to it. He probably knows that.
“Thanks.”
They stand in awkward silence for 15 seconds before Seungcheol speaks up again. “It’s admirable. What you’re doing with the comeback. Being so involved. I hope my team can do that after the service.”
Nayoung mutters a quick thanks and the awkward silence creeps back in.
“Unnie!” Somi’s clear voice rings through the lobby. “I need to borrow your charger. Yo! Wait! Is that S.Coups?”
Forget her earlier statement. It’s amazing how long Nayoung’s gone without seeing Seungcheol when her social circle includes Jeon Somi, who has the phone number of seemingly everyone in the industry.
“Hey. It’s been a long time, Somi.”
“Oppa, have you heard? I wrote two songs on the album! And I directed the unnies on the vibes, you know. Nayoung unnie is so funny. Like seriously. Totally my style.”
“Wow! That’s amazing. Congratulations, Somi.”
“Oh, oppa, you got the concert invite, right? I told Mingyu oppa, but he may have forgotten to tell everyone.”
Seungcheol rubs his neck. “Umm no. He hasn’t said anything about–”
Nayoung cuts him off, “Can we talk? Actually talk?”
Once she gets an affirmative, Nayoung turns to Somi. “Som, give us a minute? I’ll be right over.”
Once Somi walks off, Seungcheol lowers his voice, switches to informal speech and says, “You stopped calling.”
“So did you,” she counters.
“I guess I didn’t know what to say. After—” he gestures vaguely— “you know, all that. There was nothing I could say to fix things.”
“I wanted to hate you. After… you know what. I tried so hard.” She surprises herself with that admission. That’s the first time she’s ever said it out loud.
“And?”
“I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t fair. To you. To the group. To…” she trails off.
“I still wish you called.”
“If I did, would you have picked up?”
“You know I would have.”
She does know and that’s the problem.
Suddenly, her phone blows up with messages from the members. All of them some iteration of ‘unnie where r u’ or ‘unnie please get here quickly’. She zeroes in on one that says ‘I’m bleeding’ and pales.
“Are those the girls?” Seungcheol asks and she nods. “You have to go?” She nods again.
Nayoung barely hears his ‘it was good to see you’ pleasantries and ‘we should meet up sometime’. She may have agreed to go to his next concert. Or he may have agreed to go to hers. Hell, she would have agreed to anything at that point. Her mind is in panic mode trying to end the conversation and get to the elevator and then to the dressing room as soon as possible.
She presses the elevator button far too many times and far too aggressively, not even checking if Somi is following. Her hands are shaking by the time the elevator makes it to the correct floor.
“Where’s the emergency?” Nayoung slams open the door expecting something or someone on fire only to find a calm dressing room and seven sets of eyes blinking at her.
Somi slips in the door behind her, holding up her phone. “That was me,” she sings in English. “You’re welcome.”
“Unnie, I got a papercut.” Yoojung pouts from her spot on the couch.
Nayoung sighs in half relief and half annoyance, drops her bag on a chair, and moves Doyeon’s legs so she can sit with them on the couch.
“Why? Why? What happened?” Sejeong always had a knack for sensing when something was wrong.
Somi leans over, Nayoung’s charger in hand, and ominously whispers, “The ex.” Someone gasps as Somi continues, “It was so weird. I couldn’t tell if they were going to jump each other’s bones or jump each other killing style!”
“No one is getting jumped in either sense of the word,” Nayoung insists firmly.
“But you want to, right?” Somi smirks and raises her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
“I don’t know! Can we not talk about this?” Nayoung groans and hides her face in Yoojung’s hair.
“Ahhh. Everyone, let's stop,” teases Sejeong, ever the voice of reason. “Even though we all know unnie wants to climb him like a tree.”
Nayoung throws a hair extension at her.
The comeback and promotions go well. Maybe there’s a little more crying this time than 10 years ago, but they’re mostly happy tears. She and Seungcheol text a few times. He’s making an effort again and so is she. She thinks if it goes well, maybe they’ll put a label on it this time.
After the last of their Seoul concerts, Nayoung picks up her phone to see two new messages from him.
hey
up for a walk?