The residuum of her first love, synonymous for the memories too painful to recollect, was what was left lingering around the recording studio with her when the room finally cleared for the night. After eight, insufferable hours of discomfort, the vicinity was now bare, leaving Joy with only her thoughts left behind.

The staff and music director had left hours ago, along with Jungkook, her duet partner, eventually. The pair had been instructed to stay behind and work on the song since recording session didn't go so smoothly as the board was hoping for. But as hours passed with the two of them refusing to cooperate, Jungkook quietly left. The silence had gotten too loud for either of them to bear, beating them with the raw truth that was oblivious to everyone but them; this wasn't going to work.

Initially, they were praised for their impeccable professionalism and ineffable talent. Jungkook had blown everyone away with his flexible and fluid musical capabilities. The golden boy was able to clear every riff sent his way and perfected each pitch of the harmony line. Meanwhile, Joy impressed her audience with her crystal clear, bell-like vocals, providing a sweet, soothing melody line for the demo. They were the best candidates for the next SM Station release and it would be foolish to say otherwise. However, when it came time to finally nail the recording of the single, prosperity was unexpectedly compromised.

The song was nothing out of the ordinary; a product following the guidelines of the industry's current trends. With the winter days approaching, heartrending breakups and bitter farewells naturally fitted in with the sullen time of the year.

As idols and musicians respectively, it is expected that they carried out this concept seemingly and in the beginning, things were running fairly smoothly. It was a little tough to settle into the producer's vision, but with time they both successfully persevered. Individually, the two were able to jump over the hurdles, however, when it came time for Jungkook to join Joy in the recording booth, that was when the cookie began to crumble.

She recalls the lyricist noting that even though he respected their talents and professionalism, it was prohibiting them from advancing onto the next stage of production and it was going to have to stop. With their strained voices, stiff interpretation of the music, and the thick tension hanging in the air, it disrupted the artistry's workflow. Over time, despite their best efforts to salvage the situation, he finally threw up his white flag.

"Look, I know that you guys have to do your best to preserve your images as idols, but I have to protect my reputation as an artist as well." The older man sternly depicts, "With this song, I really need a great duo to accurately portray my vision and I would really like that pair to be the two of you because I've seen how you both perform. You're talented individuals but it's sad that it'll have to go to waste if this-" he waves his finger between the two of them, "continues. I'm not telling you guys to become best friends and all, but this awkwardness needs to be gone the next time we meet."

The churning in her stomach finally subsides the moment she reaches the top steps leading to the inside out front. It's the slap of the nippy, night breeze that pulls her out of her daze and back to the streets of Seoul. The bleakness of the dark night startles her; the last time she was out, the sky was still a deep cerulean and the saffron sun was brightly glittering. Now, a thick ebony veil encapsulates the restless city, while sprouts of gold and silver glow from artificial lights assist in illuminating the way for night owls, or overworked employees like herself, to return home.

Although exhausted, the activity of the bustling city manages to distract Joy from her previous worries and soon she finds herself lost in admiration for the nightlife that surrounds her. The enigmatic time of day has her adrenaline pumping and the unfamiliarity of darkness comforts her. Joy finds herself thrilled to be wandering the streets after dusk, where she could freely roam and blend into the obscurity—something she was forbidden to do during the daytime.

The next time her mind returns to reality, she finds herself beside a bus stop just as her phone begins vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out of her coat, she answers the call neglecting to check the contact ID.

"Hello?" Joy answers, struggling to sustain her chirpy tone to greet the caller.

"Oh, Sooyoung-ah, where are you?" A thick, muffled voice drawls on the other side of the line. The voice is familiar yet indistinguishable with the muted tone, so she pulls the phone away from her ear and checks the screen. The caller ID reads, Bear.

'Ah, she must've just woken up,' Joy reasons, pressing the phone back to her ear.

"Seulgi unni? Did you just wake up? I'm at a bus stop right now. I just got out."

There's shuffling on the other end of the line, which Joy figured the older girl must've gotten out of bed to turn on the light.

"Yerim and I were waiting up for you but it got a little late and I accidentally fell asleep. Yerim just came in the room to wake me up. She was getting tired and said that someone should be awake when you come home." Seulgi explains.

Joy smiles, her chest flutters with adoration. The day had been long and dreadful, considering everything that went down at work. It had left Joy feeling numb, she could sense the physical and emotional defense mechanism her body was experiencing to protect her from the trauma that transpired. Meeting Jungkook, failing at her job, and being reprimanded for being incompetent drilled a hole into Joy's already fragile heart— she inevitably couldn't help but leave work feeling useless and pathetic. But leave it to her members, her best friends, her sisters, to completely renounce the evils that plagued her mind and reinstate her jubilant, young soul through acts of services like tonight. They manage to be the beacon of light through her cloudy days and Joy was absolutely grateful to have them in her life.

But even if she really appreciated her members waiting for her to return home, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. "It's late, unni. You shouldn't have stayed up, you normally go to bed early. Where's Seungwan and Joohyun unni? You could've asked them to stay up in your place, are they sleeping as well?"

"Actually, Joohyun unni isn't home right now. Taehyung came by in the evening and swept her away for the weekend. She just texted me awhile ago saying that they're in Daegu right now."

"What? Daegu?" Joy gasps. In the distance, she catches sight of the bus approaching. It slows to a screeching halt before her and her feet quickly take her to the curb, where she meets the entrance and quietly climbs on. After greeting the night shift driver, she passes down the aisle and makes her way towards the back of the bus, taking the very last seat.

"Daegu," she marvels, once she fully situates in her seat. "Are they staying overnight or something?"

Seulgi replies, "Yeah, Joohyun unni said that Taehyung's family was having some sort of reunion and he wanted her to be there, so they're staying overnight for it. And Wannie has been up all night studying for her exam at the university tomorrow, she went to bed not long before I did. I didn't want to keep her up, are you almost home yet?"

"I just boarded the bus so I should be home in ten minutes." Joy answers. She casts her eyes to the window and watches the streets pass by; it moves too quickly for her liking causing her to turn back and stare at the blue leather of the bus seats instead. "Unni, you should go ahead and go back to sleep already. You sound so tired, I don't want you to be sleep deprived in the morning because of me."

"No, no, no, I'm fine. It's just been a while since I've stayed up this late." Seulgi insists. There's more shuffling around on the other end before hearing an abrupt gasp from Seulgi. "Oh! I just got a text from someone," she announces, making Joy notice how much more awake the older girl appeared to be from a second ago.

"Who's it from? Who can be texting you this late at night?" Joy teases, not knowing what else to say. The subject at hand was now fading into the background and Joy had a notion that Seulgi was going to ask her about work next, which she really didn't want to be reminded of at the moment. There's a brief moment of silence before Seulgi replies, with Joy figuring that the girl was taking her time to read her messages. However, when she finally answers, Joy realizes the mistake in her assumption.

"Uh, um, it's from Jimin." Seulgi stutters hesitantly, making it evident that she had to debate with herself on whether to reveal his identity or not. "He was wondering if you were home by now. I was talking to him earlier about you..." her voice trails off.

The line grows silent but Joy didn't have to hear another word to know what Seulgi wanted to say; the silence spoke for itself. The pause in this cinematic-like moment was forcing them to relive the six long months since she and Jungkook had broken up. It was kind of paradoxical, since they never had a problem talking about Joohyun and Taehyung's relationship. It was probably due to the fact that the pair of them had been together for so long. Or maybe it was because it was Joohyun, the eldest of them, the girl who the members all looked up to. It was natural to idolize the older girl's fairytale-like romance, especially after her happily ever after had unbelievably twisted into some kind of Shakespearean tragedy.
When it came to Seulgi and Jimin, things were differently. Seulgi was more cautious with her relations with Jimin in fear she would hurt the younger girl if she became too careless—since Jimin and Jungkook shared a close relationship.

"Jungkook came home an hour ago and Jimin was curious about how everything went. Although judging from his reclusiveness at the dorm, it seems like today had been difficult for the two of you."

Looking down in her lap, she blinks away the tears burning at the back her eyes. There was no way she was going to cry and look pathetic, not anymore. Her ego, or what's left of it, wouldn't let her.

"Well, you should hurry and tell him things went the way we all expected them to, nowhere. Look, I'm on the bus right now so I'll be home soon." Joy quickly answers while she wipes her eyes. Even though there was no one there to see her, shame took hold of her. 'It's been six months, get yourself together, Sooyoung.'

"I'll see you at the dorms, unni, bye."

"Sooyoung, wai-" The line ends with a press of a button and Joy slips her phone back into her pocket. She knew she probably shouldn't have done that to Seulgi and there's a twinge of guilt that pricks her heart for pushing the older girl away. All she was trying to do, like the rest of her members, was be there for her. They knew, despite her great (and lousy) efforts to dissuade her emotions, that when Jungkook left, not only did he shatter her heart, but he also took a piece of her soul. All that is left now is a giant, permanent gap in her being and no matter how hard she was trying to reconstruct herself, nothing in the world could compensate for what was lost.

♫ ♫ ♫

"You're messing up the rhythm of the second note in the last verse," his cold voice articulates as he snatches the red pen from the music stand and her score out of her hands. Unconcerned, he proceeds to mark up her paper, staining the pure white with crimson slashes and circles. He doesn't hold back, the younger man ensures himself to point out every single mistake he could pick out—which was apparently everything since, by the time he finishes, nearly the entire sheet is scarlet of his criticism.

"Here," he says, handing Joy back her score. "The producer even gave us the scores with the lyrics—you should have no trouble interpreting the song, it's laid out all in front of you."

Taking the sheet of paper in her hand, she quietly scans it over, reviewing his notes and comments.

"You basically wrote over the entire paper, what do you want me to fix?" She dares herself to lift her gaze from her score to settle on his image.

Jungkook continues to stare into his lap, refusing to make any eye contact with her. She could see him roll his eyes just as he scoffs, "What do you mean which ones do you need to fix? You need to fix all of it before the producer hears it. Do you think he'd want to produce something that sounds like garbage?" The hint of pretentiousness in his tone makes her blood boil and Joy begins to silently fume.

"I mean, which ones do you want me to work on now. Which verse do you want me to fix so we can run through this again together?" She huffs, trying to keep herself level-headed. There was no need to cause a scene, especially when there were staff members close by to hear them.

"Why do you need me to specify? Work on all of them so we can run through them. If you can't already tell, I don't have all the time in the world, Sooyoung-ssi. Time is ticking by and time is valuable. We have only three more days to master this song before the official recording starts—"

"I know how much time we have left, but I'm not just going to sit around all day practicing my parts when it's not even going to be applicable to the recording. You heard the director yourself, the problem isn't an individual's problem. This is a duet, how am I improve when all this feels like I'm working on a solo? Where's your take on this? Since when did you become Mr. Perfect and get to call all the shots, and not have anything wrong with your parts?"

He sharply exhales out of his nose, clearly agitated with her consistent defiance—although Joy thought he had no right to be. He was being particularly arrogant and impatient.

"I never said that I was perfect, did I? I was just pointing out all the things that you needed to work on. What's my take in this? Aren't I advising you how to improve? Do you want this to be a solo because I can definitely forfeit myself from this project and the song can be all yours?"

"Why are you trying to play the victim card here? I'm just trying to clarify some things and then you had to take this to a whole new level. You pointed out my mistakes great, but this is a reprimand, not counsel. You told me what I did wrong, but how are you helping me improve? Throwing this paper back in my face and telling me to work on it, that's sound advisement you've given me here."

Finally, he snaps his head up and his coal-black eyes lock onto her equally apathetic gaze. Jungkook purses his lips into a thin, white line, racking his brains for words, before opening his mouth and challenges, "Who's trying to play the victim? You think I am? Listen, I notified you in the areas where you needed improvement, I wrote notes and comments on that sheet, and I am doing my job. What are you doing? You looked at that paper, but did you even read it?" She doesn't say anything and he pauses to snicker. Joy catches the wry smile that's hanging from the corner of his lips as he scoffs, "After all this time and you're still playing the victim, still acting like you're not at fault whatsoever. You act like you're innocent, that you're naive when you know exactly what you're doing. I guess people really don't change, how could they? Victory tastes too sweet, doesn't it? A cheater always wins until she's caught, isn't that right?"

Pure, crimson fury erupts inside of her and Joy could instantly feel every fiber of her igniting into flames of rage. From her neck up, she started to burn and she wouldn't be surprised if her complexion was now the color of a tomato. In her hand the lyrics sheet was now crumpled up into the ball, she chucks it across the room missing Jungkook by a hair as he ducks.

"There it is, the truth has finally come out." She grits her teeth, hot tears trickle at the corner of her eyes but she blinks them away, refusing to let them fall.

"What did you expect? Did you think I was going to show up with a smile and pretend like everything was going to be alright?" He barks. His beady black eyes narrow as he glares at her, mirroring her embedded fury, however, Jungkook wasn't afraid to let himself explode. "Even after all this time has passed, you're still the same as you were six months ago, a liar and a deceiver. Every time I look at you I can't help but get so angry. You have no right to be upset after what you did, and you certainly don't have the right to be receiving sympathies from anyone. But you do anyway, everyone's feeding off your lie. No one knows the truth about what happened except for me."

Silence falls upon the room and the only sound that could be heard is the muffled weeping coming from Joy's lowered head. Thankfully her long tresses acted as curtains to her face, shielding Jungkook from seeing how broken she was. It was already humiliating as it is crying in front of him, she didn't need to actually face him and showcase her vulnerability as well. The two remain sitting there wallowing in the aftermath of the combustion, much like that dreadful night six months ago.

It isn't until they hear a click overhead and a stern yet exhausted voice thunder over the intercom, "Jungkook-ssi, Sooyoung-ssi, go home," alerting them just how long they've been locked up in the conference room. The room was enclosed by four paneled walls, no windows to the outside world to indicate how much time has past.

Quick to her feet, Joy jumps from her seat, snatching her bag off the floor, and scrams towards the door. Just as she passes through the threshold, with one last look back, she beckons, "Jeon Jungkook."

He doesn't lift his head to meet her gaze but with the staggering silence, she knows he's at least listening. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down, however, it doesn't do her any good. She chokes on her words before she could clearly enunciate, "Jeon Jungkook, if you still clearly hate me this much even after all this time has passed, then I don't think we should continue this. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'll tell the producer that this isn't going to work—don't worry, I'll take responsibility for my actions. I'll say that this is all my fault, I am an incompetent duet partner like you said. You won't have to see me anymore or ever again."

♫ ♫ ♫

"The bags underneath your eyes are sagging down to your cheekbones, have you not been sleeping? Jesus Christ, Sooyoung-ah." With her eyes sealed shut, she neglects to identify whose voice the remark belonged to. However, frankly, Joy was better off not knowing, or rather, she didn't care. Whoever was speaking obviously wasn't aware of the situation at all. Otherwise, they would've known better than to ask. It would have been painfully obvious to deduce from the months prior, where she would show up to work with puffy bloodshot eyes, why she was showing up for work looking like a hot mess. This foolish girl was another victim of a tragic heartbreak.

Joy remains still and silent as the makeup artist proceeds to color her face, only making the slightest of movements when her ears pick up the familiar footwork pattern of her members. The eerily quiet waiting room suddenly bursts into a scene of commotion as one by one her members return to the room. The sounds of cellophane crinkling fill the room with life, along with the echoes of greetings and laughter.

"We're back," she hears Seungwan briefly announce before slowly slipping away to the other side of the room. A couple feet away, Joy detects a conversation going on between Yerim and Seulgi. It's hushed, no louder than a soft murmur, making her unable to distinguish the context of the talk. However, it isn't until she hears Yerim burst out into a giggle and Seulgi cry out, "No! Nothing happened!" that Joy figured they were talking about the older girl's boyfriend, Jimin.

She swallows the large lump in , feeling it travel down her body and manifest into a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach. Her hands instantly go to soothe her abdomen, in hopes to ease the anguish. An assessment of her body's physical condition at this time would've been more than just humiliating; to see how her body had become so vulnerable because one stupid boy was pathetic. Furthermore, the trace of envy trickling in her blood was also pathetic—she shouldn't be feeling like this, it was unfair. It was time to build a bridge and get over herself already, six months, six long months have already passed. But no matter how hard she was trying, no matter how many times she tried to stand up again, the world would just end up crumbling again. It was because, the residuum of her first love, synonymous for the memories too painful to recollect, was what was left lingering, despite her best efforts to forget.

Feeling her face contort, the pain grows and she finds herself trying to retract into a fetal position, even though she was sitting in a chair.

"Sooyoung-ah, are you okay?" A low yet feminine voice trickles into her ear and soon a palm is placed on her shoulder. The unfamiliarity from before quickly dissipates and is replaced with the comfortability of her member, Joohyun. Slowly, she begins to crack her eyes open, instantly becoming blinded by the abrupt streaks of bright fluorescent lights. It takes a couple of seconds for her vision to settle and when it does, she's able to fixate her brown orbs on the girl standing before her. Staring down at her, a worried gaze swallows her up.

"Oh, unni. Yeah, I'm fine." She mumbles, straightening herself up in her seat. The pain was still there, although instead of feeling it in her gut it was now gnawing at her heart. She clenched her hands, buried in her lap, tightly, trying to resist the urge from clutching her chest. Her eyes wander around the room, dancing from one light fixture to another, averting her gaze from meeting Joohyun's. She knew that if Joohyun could catch a glimpse into her eyes, she would see through the window, how shattered she still was inside.

The grip on her shoulder tightens as Joohyun tries to give her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that she was there if Joy ever wanted to someone to talk to. Even though Joy knew she should take her members' efforts into account, there's something in her that reckons her to dismiss them and wither into the corner by herself. Looking back over the course of the last six months, they've done so much to help her cope and grieve and now it was time for her to pick up after herself; she had to do this alone.

"Are you hungry? We bought some snacks from the cafe." Joohyun asks, finally meeting her gaze, although through the reflection of the mirror. Joy's eyes instantly flutter away and she looks over her shoulder to see the other three girls had formed a circle on the floor and were busying themselves with the food they purchased.

"Sooyoung unni," the maknae, Yeri, beckons, causing Joy to gaze in her direction. Settling on the younger girl's petite frame, she drinks up the girl's jubilant aura, which was radiating boldly behind the cautious grin plastered across her face. She's holding out a box, extending her reach from the circle to Joy. "I got you a donut from the cafe. Here, you can have it now or save it for later." Her doe eyes gleam with hope, pleading for Joy to accept her gift. The older girl takes the box and with a forced expression thanks her.

"Thanks, Yerim. And you too, unni," she says, acknowledging the other members. "I'll have this later after the performance. If I eat this now, I don't think it'll settle in time for our stage." She rises from her seat and makes her away across the room to tuck the box inside her bag. Then, rotating on her heels, she briefly announces to her members that she was heading to the restroom. Before anyone could say anything to stop her, or tag along, she was already halfway down the hall, navigating through the maze of staff and singers.

Upon leaving the room, she agreed with herself to leave all of her problems behind. As she works her way through the cluttered hallways, she feigns a bright smile to everyone who was passing by—in which they would return an equally bright or a soft, polite one. 'It wouldn't be fair for everyone to have to deal with my problems.'

She safely makes it to her destination without running into trouble, or in other words, she hadn't mistakenly bumped into any Bangtan members on the way. When she first heard that the boys were also planning a comeback around Red Velvet, Joy had hoped and prayed that there wouldn't be any overlapping schedules. Even with the terms she and Jungkook were already partaking in—avoiding each other at all costs—the fact that their corresponding groups were close enough to resurrect buried memories and abandoned relationships was enough to keep Joy on her toes.

It's as she's slipping into the lady's room that her ears pick up the familiar tune, Bangtan's comeback song, and a rush of relief washes over her. She pokes her head back into the hallway to see none of the boys in sight and it isn't until her gaze fall upon a staff member dressed in a coat with the group's insignia on it, heading towards one of the performance hall entrance, that she realizes that the boys were too preoccupied to run into her.

"They must recording right now," she murmurs to herself, retracting her head back inside the restroom before swiveling on her heels and proceeding to enter the room. Her feet take her to the sinks, where she stops to admire her reflection. The girls weren't due to their live recording for another hour but it was better to have everything done ahead of time so they could finish quickly. Facing her flawless and immaculate appearance, she attempts to smile, only to quickly drop once she saw how hideous she had become with it.

"You really are pathetic, Sooyoung-ah." She curses at herself, "Seriously, everyone has grown sick and tired of your mess. It's been six months, why can't you let go of him already?"

Silence answers her and the response is not what she was looking for. She spends the next couple of minutes basking in the serenity of isolation before deeming that it was time to return to the waiting room. Taking a deep breath, she musters up the courage to pry the door open and step back out into the world again. To her surprise, the corridor is much more populated and staffed than before and Joy couldn't help but hold her breath when she noticed that the people filling up the hall were all Bangtan staff members. The distant jingle was still playing, what were they all doing out here. Her heart skips a beat when she catches the familiar silhouette of a younger man situated beside the walkway she was going to have to pass. His tall stature and signature chestnut brown hair strike as his identifier, the young man is indeed the one and only, Jeon Jungkook.

'Oh no, oh no, oh no,' her frantic mind panics and causes her thoughts to become too scattered to process logic. With feet glued to the floor, joints frozen, the poor girl is stuck amidst the chaos; everything becomes a blur. 'Their song is still playing inside, what is he doing out here?'

A few feet away from her, she hears the concert hall door moan as it's pushed open and rustling erupting from the entryway. Her ears immediately register the familiar tenors, the voices of those who used to be close enough whom she could call brothers, and instantly she's sprinting down the hallway. Her speed inevitably attracts the attention of many and as she passes Jungkook she could see out of the corner of her eyes the slight turning of his head.

'He definitely saw me,' her mind races as she rushes back to the waiting room. Her heels echo down the hall, marking how many more steps she has until arriving at her destination. Making a turning at the next corner, she hears the commotion from earlier slowly fade and die out shortly before a more familiar chaos welcomes her back. Drawing near Red Velvet's room, she hears their laughter and outbursts and it prompts her racing heartbeat to slow and a weary smile to spread across her lips. Their nearby presence makes Joy momentarily forget about Jungkook and acknowledge her safe return without any setbacks. A wave of relief washes over her as the threshold to her haven is within arm's reach.

"Sooyoung unni!" Yerim excitedly welcomes her, waving her to come in. Her jubilance promptly urges Joy to lift her sullen expression and she enters the room wearing a bright smile, only to quickly drop it when her eyes land on two unfamiliar figures in the room, male figures.

Initially, their backs were facing her, however, upon hearing of her arrival they both turn, peering over their shoulders to greet her, causing her freeze in her tracks. She stiffly greets them, "Jimin oppa, Hoseok oppa, what a pleasant surprise..."

"Oi, ddoongddoongie, it's been a while!" Hoseok naturally addresses, flashing her a dimpled-smile meanwhile casting a friendly wave. Jimin, on the other hand, hesitates and offers a silent smile as an acknowledgment. Immediately, her eyes fly to her members, Yerim, Seungwan, and Joohyun were trading each other glances, while Seulgi, who was huddled beside Jimin, stared at the floor.

"Congrats on your comeback," Hoseok adds, stirring the quietness along before awkwardness could settle. "I was just telling that to your members. Oh, and also on your new project. It's going to be a success, I already know it."

Joy feigns a smile. "T-thanks," she says, watching Jimin attempt to discreetly elbow Hoseok in the rib. "Congratulations to you guys as well, you know, on your comeback."

They exchange polite smiles, similarly to the formalities she traded earlier with the groups in the hall. It was particularly upsetting to see how distant they have grown in spite of her and Jungkook's break-up. Chatter commence amongst the six of them as Joy withers into the corner of the room, watching them from afar. Without her participation, the scene almost appeared like how things were seven months ago.

Tucked away, she watches them as they converse for what seems like eternity and it isn't until a single disruptive cough, coming from the open door, that ceases the harmonious reunion. All eyes, including her own, shift to the doorway where an occupant stands waiting for their attention. Joy instantly feels her heart dropping to the floor.

"Hyung, noona, Yerim," he calmly greets, offering a quick smile to s and the girls before his eyes reach hers and a stoic expression takes over. The room falls quiet and the atmosphere grows tense, making it difficult to breathe with the thick air.

"Jungkook-ah, what are you doing here?" Jimin speaks up when the surprise visitor fails to explain himself. He continues drilling two holes with his gaze through Joy, ignoring 's questioning—his mind too preoccupied elsewhere to logically apprehend reality. Challenging him, she silently glares back refusing to acknowledge him. It was obvious that he wanted to speak to her but Joy wasn't giving in that easily, not after what happened last time they met. Although it was a little petty, she will admit, she wanted him to feel the humiliation as well.

"Jungkook," Jimin tries again after the tension becomes too insufferable to stand. Jungkook snaps out of his daze, breaking away from Joy to the other members. Flustered, after realizing that he was the center of attention, he retreats back a couple of paces.

"I need to speak with Sooyoung...noona," he aimlessly points in her direction before quickly glancing away as her name slips from his lips. It stuns her, hearing him call her without the usual sourness attached to it.

Time stills as everyone waits for what's to happen next; they hold their breaths while the two of them hesitantly shift in their places. Finally coming to terms with waiting man, she rises from her spot after releasing a heavy sigh and follows him out into the hallway, trying her best to ignore the glances and looks darting her way.

Her eyes are locked onto Jungkook's broad shoulders as she demands an explanation for her summoning. "What do you want?" She asks in a low, grave tone; bitterness stains her tongue.

He leads them to an alcove, a safe distance away from the dressing room, before abruptly whirling around on his heels to face her. Startled, she stumbles and almost trips as she tries to avoid running into him. It's right as she's about to open again to yell at him when she notices that he had dropped his scornful expression. Instead, he's peering down at her with a blank face, which was even more unsettling than his contemptuous glares.

It takes him a moment to fully build up the courage to speak to her without his conventional spiteful tone. "Sooyoung noona," he manages before taking a deep breath, clearly perplexed on what to say.

"Spit it out, Jungkook," she snaps, growing impatient. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes travel back down the trail they took buying Jungkook some time to gather his confidence. Her mind, in the meantime, wanders as she could only imagine what the others were talking about back in the room. They were probably even more frazzled than she was when Jungkook had directly asked for her time.

"You already had the nerve to bring me out here, I bet whatever you want to say next would require an equal amount of courage." She inhales sharply, crossing her arms. Coming to some sort of revelation, his straightens his stature and Joy catches the gleam of determination in his eyes from.

"What the hell did you say to the producer to get me fired?"