thirteen: highways and byways

strange bedfellows
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13

highways and byways

 

 

“Kim Joonmyeon! Kim Minseok! Zhang Yixing! Byun Baekhyun! Do Kyungsoo! Kim Jongdae! Park Chanyeol! Oh Sehun! E-X-O!”

The loud roar of fan chants resonated through Irene’s ears, hitting close to home. Her husband and his group –at least, whoever remained– were in the middle of a heated breakdance, and the crowd was going wild. It reminded her of a time when the names fervently being called were Seulgi’s, Wendy’s, Joy’s, Yeri’s, and hers.

But those days were long gone. Not that Irene really minded anymore.

“Look, Sungwoo, there’s your dad,” Seulgi whispered to little Sungwoo, who she was carrying in her arms, while jabbing a finger at the stage.

Every comeback was the same. The girlfriends, wives, and children would be huddled together backstage, cheering on their men from a distance. It was a family gathering of sorts, one that Irene had grown accustomed to over her years of being Sehun’s official significant other. Usually, she would solicit Seulgi’s help in sneaking her and the children into the building, before the paparazzi and fans could catch shots of them.

That day, there was one thing different. Next to the group of women and children was a lithe, tanned young man, standing at the corner with a wistful expression on his face. Everything about him screamed “idol”, but he was, for once, a spectator rather than a performer.

Irene knew about it. Of course. Sehun had been babbling all week about how six months after the scandal, Kai was still barred from performing with the group. It didn’t matter that six months had passed. It didn’t matter that he had spent weeks still practicing with the rest of them. It didn’t matter that it was the group’s long-awaited comeback – a scandal was a scandal, and he was to sit out. Back in the day, Sehun had been subject to the same plight, waiting a full year after he married Irene before he could come back to the stage. Unspoken rules of thumb, Sehun had said.

Her gaze flitted to Seulgi, who was still doing her best to entertain Sungwoo. She didn’t as much as glance at Kai, who had shifted over to talk to Taeyeon and her kids. Irene diverted her attention back to Sehun, who was dancing, rapping and just doing his thing as he always did. Everyone was in their own world, despite being very much in reality.  

It was strange to think that a lot had changed, when it almost seemed liked nothing had changed at all.  

 

 

“Daddy, you were so cool!” Sungwoo cheered, waving one of the EXO light sticks that Irene had handed to him earlier. The look he gave his father melted the hearts of all the men and women in the waiting room.

Sehun scooped his son into his arms. “Really? Give me a kiss on the cheek, Sungwoo.”

The boy heartily obliged, forgetting that his lips were stained from all the ice cream he had been eating and planting a series of smudgy kisses on his dad’s cheeks. Sehun, Irene and everyone else in the room quickly realized the mess the boy was creating and broke into laughter.

“Be careful, Sungwoo!” Irene admonished, patting his lips with a napkin.

“That must be only lipstick mark on Sehun that Joohyun approves of,” Suho joked, earning him a shove in the ribs from Irene. “What? True story!”

“I’d like to see your future girlfriend approve of anything else!” Irene shot back.

Across the room, Baekhyun threw the older man a mischievous look. “Assuming he even gets one, at his age.”

The entire room erupted in laughter again, with Suho lunging for Baekhyun and chasing him around. Seulgi cupped a hand over and chuckled quietly. Considering how guarded she had been towards EXO over her years of performing, partly due to company interference, she had grown used to the atmosphere in the waiting room whenever she went with Irene for one of Sehun’s performances. The once prim-and-proper boys had morphed into a rambunctious lot, with Chanyeol and Baekhyun taking a good amount of credit for the chaos. But Seulgi quite liked it – it reminded her of her days with her members in their waiting room.

Her eyes involuntarily fell on Kai, who was playing with Baekhyun and Taeyeon’s children. Minhyuk, Baekhyun’s older son, was munching on some gummies and Kai was trying to get the child to feed him some. After some intense sweettalking, the boy finally caved, reluctantly offering Kai the smallest gummy he could find. A small smile crept on Seulgi’s face.

It had been months since their terse exchange. Originally, Seulgi had wanted to apologize. Or at least, finally talk it out with him. She had drafted and deleted so many messages to him that she had lost count. But Kai hadn’t sent her anything either. Not even after she and Jaehyun had gotten back together. Probably because they had gotten back together. As far as Kai and Seulgi were concerned, the both of them were back to square one – “hellos”, “goodbyes”, and silence.

“Hey Seul,” Suho called, fracturing her thoughts, “your man is here!”

Seulgi turned sharply, catching the sight of a smiling Jaehyun by the doorway, bowing profusely. His crop of silver hair was back to bronze, probably for his drama serial. He did say he was going to be dyeing his hair in the morning, and honestly, he did look quite good–

She looked at Kai, whose eyes met hers for the first time since the start of the day. She turned back to Jaehyun before it could get any harder to look away from Kai’s sad, sunken face. She rose to her feet, took her boyfriend by the arm, and politely entertained all the quips and jibes she got from the watching crowd while making a beeline for the door.

 

 

“You’re being strange,” Seulgi observed, looking at Jaehyun through narrowed eyes.

They had managed to dodge the teeming throng of staff members, idols and fans, at least to one of the hidden back staircases. They hurried down, fingers still intertwined. Teenage Seulgi would have been horrified at the recklessness of it all, but thirty-two-year-o

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colormecandy
Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been taking this week off SB to focus on "in the name of love", expect some SB updates next week :) In the meantime, if you'd like, please also check out "in the name of love"! :)

Comments

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Jang_Chaeri
#1
Chapter 28: Just re-read the chapters all over again and it still makes me feel all giddy like the first time :'))
pinkypn #2
Chapter 28: I hope you update soon
peachwanda #3
I'm just so curious, who is Youngran? I mean is she a real tv personality? I'm not aware huhu
peachwanda #4
I'm just so curious, who is Youngran? I mean is she a real tv personality? I'm not aware huhu
peachwanda #5
I'm just so curious, who is Youngran? I mean is she a real tv personality? I'm not aware huhu
candypark #6
HIII CANDY! I came to stop and just re-read this whole amazing fic again <3 can't lie I really miss this story but no pressure thoo. I'm willing to wait for another update. This is the first story that got me hooked in you haha. Also, the character felt so real and so close. I hope you can find the time to continue this, but again, no pressure. I still love ITNOL updates and your other stories. Although for sure I'd be the happiest person if you decide to update this storyy <3
Jang_Chaeri
#7
Chapter 28: How is it possible that every character feels so real 💗? I wish I had found your fics sooner.
It's heartwarming and heart-wrenching at the same time. I've always been a fan of SMTown and reading the part where they come together to support Seulgi makes me miss their concert interaction so much.
Jaehyun who's willing to take all the blame and Seulgi who refused to let him fall alone, my heart swells 💗💗 I'd never known that Jaeseul is the new OTP I need.
Thanks so much for your amazing fic, authornim. Keep up your great work! Stay healthy and stay safe 😘
kaistalee #8
Chapter 28: When are you gonna update authornim? 🥺
luv_kero
2416 streak #9
Chapter 28: Highkey, if I were in Seulgi and Jaehyun's situation, I don't think I would be able to stop myself from reading comments. ^^; Even though I know they'd be harsh, the urge to KNOW would make me keep refreshing those comments sections (and probably instantly regretting them, knowing how savage netizens can be OTL). At the very least, I'm glad that Seulgi has such a strong fanbase and I think her reputation as such a passionate, friendly, hardworking idol really helped keep the general public from turning on her as well. She and Jaehyun are braving this together, and that sets my heart at ease knowing they have each other. :)

And omg, the little kiddos are so sweet and funny, and I see that Doyoung and Joy have begun their own little romance now. :P And we're getting hints of Yeri and Jaemin too, hehe :D NCT really is sweeping the RV girls, sans Irene, off their feet. XD But awww, Youngran is such a sweetheart and it's nice to see her parents make up for her. ^^ Obviously things aren't over yet, since this is just a temporary little bandaid over some relatively deep problems, but gotta enjoy the calm before the eventual storm that takes place. :')

Gah, Krystal is such a complex character and my heart really goes out to her, because she's just trying to do the best she can in this crazy world we call life. Taking the unconventional road of doing things isn't easy, but I think it'll be rewarding in its own way in the future, even if it may not seem like that right now. She's got a lot of pride, but also a lot of affection and loyalty, and this combination drives her actions in ways that people wouldn't automatically expect at first. And that makes her all the more intriguing to learn more about!! :D

Also, Jaehyun's gift to Seulgi is SO sweet and my heart just feels so FULL, knowing what they've been through to reach this point. Can't believe it's been over a year, because what a rollercoaster it's been and I know there's much more to come!! Jaehyun and Seulgi moving in with each other will probably be that next evolution of obstacles they'll have to overcome as a couple, since dynamics do change once you're actually living together, so very curious to see how that'll turn out!! In the meantime, I'm just gonna enjoy the fluff and good vibes, hehe x ]
luv_kero
2416 streak #10
Chapter 26: Ahhhhhh, this beginning made me SO emotional!! SMTown is such a huge yet incredibly tight-knit family, and this is why I love these groups and their interactions so so much!! <3 And knowing how much Seulgi is loved by everyone makes my heart sing, because she deserves the world by her side and SMTown is that world. x]

And that conversation between Kai and Seulgi was so heartwarming as well. They've finally leapt over that hurdle that's been standing between them for so many years, and Seulgi being so staunch in her convictions makes me SO proud of her. :D She and Kai have been through a lot, and I'm glad that one positive that's come out of this situation is their friendship gradually rebuilding itself. Really gives a message of hope that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how bleak things may seem at times. :)

And ahhhh, the fact that Jaehyun is willing to sacrifice himself for Seulgi shows how much she means to him, and Seulgi refusing to let him fall shows how much he means to her. And my heart is just flip-flopping everywhere because there's so much LOVE and I love Seulgi's response about continuing to work to show the public that they're serious about their jobs. She loves the stage, but she also loves Jaehyun, and she's going to make it work somehow. She's really grown into such a proactive person and I'm just so happy that they're tackling this together, because I don't know if anyone else could do it like they do. :') Such a feel-good chapter all-around and I'm so excited for what's to come!! x]