----Chapter Ten----

The warm spring breeze blows around the trees in the backyard of the old house the magazine chose for the location of the photo shoot, in a small town three hours outside of Seoul, away from the sky-high buildings, the pollution and noises of the metropolis.

The team picked many sites for the shoot besides the inside of the house, and they're currently outside, trying to catch the last of the sun's rays for the day. They had already done some shots by the garden and the nearby lake earlier.

It has only been their individual shots today. Tomorrow, they would pose together.

When her manager told her about the photo shoot, Chaeyoung never imagined the event would last two days, but the distance of the town made it hard to do a high-quality shoot in the limited time they would have if it'd been one day only.

The anxiousness at sleeping in an unknown place speeds her heart every time she thinks about it, but the whole crew has rented a motel solely for them all, so it wouldn't be too bad she hopes.

Leaning against a tree, Chaeyoung poses as the photographer advice, facing the sky as she looks afar with melancholy, one hand running through her hair while her head rests against the trunk.

They're almost done, and while she does enjoy photo shoots, she's feeling completely exhausted and wants nothing more than crawl into bed and sleep. It's been four days since Minho's birthday party, and sleep has been sparse. And of course, every time she thinks about what happened at the club, her mind always follows with thoughts of Jimin.

They had no time to talk since they arrived. It'd been either her or him in front of the cameras, and when a break was called, her manager flew to her side and kept her from wandering around while sending deadly glares at anyone who had no business getting too close to her. Like that poor assistant who’d try to talk to her earlier, but turned around when her manager stepped in front of her and sent him her ‘what do you think you’re doing young man’ look.

Maybe it's a good thing they haven't been able to chat. She feels embarrassed enough with everything he witnessed. Jisoo even told her he carried her to her bed!

How is she going to face him tomorrow for their shoot together?

"Ok, good. Let's wrap up for today. We'll meet back at the house tomorrow at 8 am," the photographer announces after claiming his satisfaction with this round.

Before Chaeyoung can take one step, her manager magically appears at her side, and she has no choice but follow with a silent sigh, feeling like a prisoner who has to go back to her cell. She takes a quick glance at Jimin who's in deep talk with his manager and some of the stylists working for the magazine.

She sighs again as she enters the van, barely listening to her manager talk about the very light dinner they need to have.

The motel they all stay in is only a short ride from their current location, but Chaeyoung fidgets all the while, restless. She tries texting the girls to know what they did today on their group chat to distract herself.

Shopping. Bought some cool shirts! Will show you when you get back! Jennie answers first.

Lisa's answer comes next. Ah...I tried to make a lasagna...That didn't work that well...Don't worry, I'll clean everything!

Yah, Lalisa! It better be clean when I get back! Jennie fires back.

Chaeyoung smiles slightly as they chat for a bit. It's strange that Jisoo isn't joining in, and Chaeyoung wonders what she might be doing.

Before she can dwell on it, they reach the motel, a rustic and comfy-looking two-floors structure built in an L shape, surrounded by tall trees from all sides with beautiful flower arrangements in the middle.

It's not a five-star grand hotel, and Chaeyoung likes it even more because of that. There's something pretentious about those hotels they sometimes stay in when they have a schedule in Japan that makes her uncomfortable. She's also sharing a room with her manager, which she also prefers as it's less lonely than having a room by herself.

She's just coming out of the shower wearing grey leggings and a black sweater when her manager enters the room, with a pack of gimbap and water bottles.

Chaeyoung frowns slightly. She knew her dinner would be light, but she still expected...more. "That's all?"

"Sorry. You can eat more tomorrow evening," she answers with an apologetic smile.

Chaeyoung hates dieting the most out of everything that comes with the idol life. It's pure torture. She has a good metabolism and has successfully cheated numerous times without being caught by their managing team, even going as far as hiding snacks in her boots while pretending an urgent need to use the restroom to eat them.

She feels like a rebellious teenager when she does it, and she hates sneaking around, but she hates the feeling of hunger even more.

They eat in silence, and after two bites, Chaeyoung is already done. And nowhere near satisfied.

At least her manager isn't eating a feast in her face, but still...she's so unfulfilled, she could cry.

After their meager dinner, her manager plops down on her bed, even though the clock hasn't struck 8 pm yet. "I'm exhausted, so I'll sleep first. Don't go to bed too late, ok?"

Chaeyoung hums in answer. She feels bad for her manager, who had previously told her that Dong Suk has been sick recently with the flu and hadn't gotten much sleep. But her manager was too proud to ask someone else to come in her stead.

Ten minutes and her manager is already snoring softly, which makes Chaeyoung smiles. But then her stomach grumbles in protest at the tiny tiny meal it has just been fed.

Should she?

She opens up Google Maps on her phone and spots a restaurant close by, maybe a fifteen minutes walk. Her eyes move between her manager and her phone enough time to make her dizzy until her stomach makes the final decision for her.

"Very sorry, but you won't even know I was gone!" Chaeyoung whispers to her sleeping manager before closing the door behind her and creeping out of the motel without encountering a single soul.

The thought of food propels her forward, but it's only when she reaches the town's center that she realizes the sun has completely disappeared to let the dark night rule over the sky, taunting her. She gulps, looking around at her surroundings. There aren't that many people outside, not many cars on the road.

Mouth dry, she pushes her cap further on her head to hide her eyes and keeps going forward, her hunger not the only thing hurrying her ahead anymore.

Don't panic, nothing will happen. Stay calm. She repeats those words over and over in her head as she walks, but she's unable to stop herself from looking over her shoulder every fifteen seconds.

I should've ordered something in. But her gluttony had taken over when she saw the dishes' pictures under the restaurant's name.

A man suddenly comes out on the sidewalk from a store a few meters ahead and Chaeyoung freezes in her track. She can only see his profile, but her blood runs cold and she feels a wave of dizziness hit her.

Without thinking, she turns the other way and starts running. She runs, taking turns left and right, glancing behind her after every step.

She runs until she's completely out of breath, and kneels in the corner of a building.

He looked like him.

Chaeyoung huddles in the cor