Part 3: Thinkin' Bout You

Breaths coming harsh and ragged, Sooyoung flopped down on the mattress of her bed. Her skin was stiff and tight with sweat. Her muscles burned from overuse. They were good sensations, purely physical, easy to get lost in. The exertion of dancing had gotten rid of the majority of her hangover; the pounding in her head was gone, and she didn’t feel like puking at all anymore.

That’d been the routine for the better part of the past couple months. Wake up at four, take some paracetamol, go to practice. Dance until ten. Take a shower, eat breakfast, go to the studio. Sing until three, eat lunch, then back to the studio until she was too tired to continue. Another shower, a small dinner, then a night of soju and beer with one of the other girls. It was usually Yerim, but sometimes Joohyun, Seulgi or Seungwan joined. Of course, this daily routine changed depending on their schedules for the day, but they were between comebacks right now, so public appearances were few.

Last night’s drinking session had gone a bit later than usual - both Sooyoung and Yerim had stayed up until one. They’d been in the depths of a good, solid drunk, and none of the other girls were around to stop them. Joohyun and Seulgi were away on a schedule, and Seungwan had gone to visit her parents in Canada.

Sooyoung tried to remember what she and Yeri had talked about last night - it was something vaguely important - but it was all a blur. She supposed she should get up and shower, but she was just too comfortable then. Her eyes were getting heavy, and it was still early. No actual schedules today, just some practice for a new B-side they were recording. She had lots of time…

A loud vibration shattered the half-asleep fog that Sooyoung was lost in, and by reflex her hand darted out and snatched up her phone.

“Facetime from Son Seungwan…”

    Sooyoung’s heart leapt into , and she briefly considered whether she should answer or not. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, her hair was a mess, and her eyes had dark circles underneath them.

    It took two more rings for Sooyoung to realize how dumb she was being. Hadn’t Seungwan already seen her worst?

    Sooyoung found her most flattering angle, brushed some stray strands of hair from her face, and gave her best smile to the camera.

    “Hey, Wannie,” Sooyoung said, “What’s up?”

    A blossom of happiness unfurled in her chest as she saw Seungwan’s grinning face. There was the sound of fervent bubbling in the background that Sooyoung recognized as a hot tub. A swath of night sky twinkled with distant stars.

    “Nothing, just making sure you guys didn’t burn down the dorm while me and the unnies were gone,” Seungwan said with a sardonic grin. She shifted the view slightly, exposing a stretch of pale, moist skin just below her collarbone. There was a piece of blue and yellow fabric - just a glimpse, really - but enough for Sooyoung to tell that her friend was wearing a bikini.