From:  JYP

Will you drop by today? I’d like to go over the terms with you.

Ugh. You’d almost forgotten about saying yes to JYP.

To: JYP

I’ll be over in an hour.

***

Quick and brutal.

“In short: you get to share me for two months. I decide where to sign in the end– or if I’m going to sign at all.”

“Done,” Park Jinyoung says, then looks slightly aghast at his own quick agreement.

“Pleasure,” you quip, standing up and sticking out your hand. “Glad you’re so accommodating without a hard contract.”

“Accommodating... that’s me,” he echoes, dazed. Once he sees my hands, however, he snaps out of it. “That looks bad.”

You chuckle a little, sheepishly, and say, “Right, about that- I won’t be able to do anything physical for about a week. I ripped up my feet too.”

“That’s fine. Please stop by the first aid.”

You nod, thank him, and leave him sitting down, still stunned at what he has just agreed to.

“It’s worth the risk,” he comforts himself.

***

After getting your hands and feet disinfected and bandaged, you’re handed a first-aid kit and bowed out the door.

“What do I do now?” you wonder, aimlessly wandering the halls.

“Hey!” someone calls from behind. You turn around.

“Me?” You’re the only one in the hallway. “Yes?”

“Who are you?” he asks suspiciously.

“Jin Ae,” you answer blandly.

“Yes, but what are you doing here?”

“Walking around,” you shrug.

He furrows his brow at your lazy answers. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re not staff, or a new trainee– how did you get in?”

You drag the newly minted ID out of your pocket and dangle it in front of him.

“Cube?” he reads, confused.

“Oops.” You pull the JYP badge out of your other pocket. “That’s the one.”

“Oh. JYP didn’t tell me about you. Lee Jin Ae... welcome to JYP! I’m Ok Taecyeon,” the tall guy says, abashed. “Did you just sign on with us today?”

You shrug again. “Kind of.”

“Is it kind of for the same reason you have a Cube badge?”

“Yeah, I’m just a drifter. I haven’t decided where I want to sign yet.”

“Alright– guess it’s my duty to show you around,” Taecyeon says. She didn’t recognize me.

As if making a point, you ask: “What group are you in?”

“Uh… 2PM.”

***

The informal tour with Taecyeon is short but fun. The big guy’s a bit of derp and you find yourself relaxing and laughing your way through the new digs. It’s an off day, he tells you. There’s nobody else in.

As if you haven’t had enough to deal with in one day, you find someone in your hallway at the dorm, being interrogated by Chaeyoung and her lackey. Upon closer look, it’s the same guy that accosted you in the street a few weeks ago, when you were heading to lunch with Wiwat. A YG talent scout.

He glimpses you and tries to make a break for it, but Chaeyoung cuts him off. Her voice reaches your ears.

“She’s already been scouted by JYP,” she says shrilly. “Take me! I’m pretty, and I can dance, and my singing is pretty good,” she argues.

Jieun murmurs, “Not really,” and flinches back when Chaeyoung shoots her a glare and raises a hand, as if to slap her.

“Yah,” you finally say, irritated. Your voice travels down the hallway. The scout gazes at you gratefully as you turn towards the trio. “We love your shower concerts, Chaeyoung-ssi,” you say in a deliberately saccharine voice. “But that is besides the point. If I find out that you’re being a bully again, I will come over and do what I have wanted to do since I moved in, and you do not want to find out what that is. Now, if you will please stop harassing that poor man, I believe he came to see me.”

He finally manages to detach himself from her and nearly sprints down the hallway. 

“Let’s take a walk outside,” you suggest, as his eyes dart nervously to where Chaeyoung is standing. She looks furious.

“Let’s.”

The two of you step out and stroll a bit.

“Jiheon,” he says, bowing. He keeps his eyes on the ground.

“I remember you,” you say.

He looks up, shocked. “Y-you do?”

You stare back at him without a smile. “Yes.”

He flinches, and bows again. “I’m really sorry about that. I was really rude.”

“You were,” you agree, cutting him no slack.

He bows again, desperately. Next he’s going to start prostrating himself on the ground, geez.

“Oh, calm down. It’s fine, stop bowing. You’re making me uncomfortable.” You wave at a nearby bench. “Sit.”

He sits down and immediately sags a little bit. 

“Tired?” you ask. “How long was the hag bothering you?”

He barks out a short, surprised laugh. “Long enough. Thank you for agreeing to speak to me and rescuing me from her.”

“Any opportunity to ruin her day,” you say cheerfully. “I think I know why you want to speak to me, but hit me with it anyway.”

“Will you come see CEO Yang Hyunsuk?” he asks. “He would like to offer you the chance to debut.”

“I already have more chances than I know what to do with,” you answer sardonically. “What’s another?”

He furrows his brow. “You signed with JYP?”

“That’s for me to tell your CEO. Shall we go?” 

***

“Cube and Jinyoung already got to you?” Yang Hyunsuk repeats, a little laughter and a touch of disbelief in his voice. Goddamnit, Park Jinyoung. “And you managed to get the wily old guy to agree to that kind of contract?”

You shrug. “It wasn’t too hard. I’m pretty low maintenance. Plus, this way you get two whole months to try and woo me over.”

To his credit, YG takes a beat longer to decide. “Okay. I agree to the terms. You can pick up your ID from HR.” He frowns. “You can’t just cop out and spend no time here because you don’t know anyone though. It’d be unfair if you’re biased towards those two because of your friends.”

“Okay, CEO-nim,” you say flippantly. “I’ll take a look around now.” So much for drowning alone in my angst. Let’s go bother some people.

***

Stepping out of HR for the first but probably not last time, you twiddle your newest ID between your fingers and look around. “Right. Right?” You face right and start walking, drawing the other two IDs out of your pocket for comparison. Rounding the corner, you almost run right  into someone’s chest. 

“Oop.” You come to a dead stop and look up, then from side to side. There are three guys standing in front of you, confused.

“Who are you?” chest guy asks. He’s the tallest of the group. 

“New trainee? Kind of old,” the guy to his right observes.

“I was just thinking it’d be nice to have a guide like Taec,” you comment.

“A guide??” the third sputters. “We’re not guides,” he scoffs.

“Well, are you a new trainee?” Right repeats his question.

“Kinda sorta,” you reply noncommittally. “I haven’t signed yet.” You dangle the three IDs from your fingers. “Just call it a college tour.”

There’s a silence with a whiff of befuddlement, but Right speaks up first. “I’m Bobby,” he introduces with a smile. It transforms his face and you can’t help but grin yourself.

“Jewel,” you say.

Junhoe and Jinhwan introduce themselves after, then excuse themselves for practice. They look at Bobby expectantly, but “We don’t start for another half hour, probably an hour,” Bobby says. “I’ll see you in the room.”

Junhoe shrugs and tows Jinhwan away.