begin again

loona's haseul / seventeen's dk

+ loona's yves, jinsoul

college!au

based on prompt: Seventeen DK is auditioning for the music club, and Loona's Haseul, who is a senior member

for captaintycoon

It's already 5.20pm when Haseul's class ends - it's a replacement class because the professor had an overseas seminar the last time - which means the audition for the Music Club's new members should has ended. Not that she wants to attend the audition in the first place. Audition is just the fancy name they use while in the reality they're grateful and accept anyone who applied to the club, it's just a way for them to know new members' ability and vocal range. Haseul is not interested in sitting through that. 

Haseul isn't interested in a lot of things recently. 

She opens her phone as she packs her books, and notices that the Music Club's group chat is blowing up with chats and videos, seemingly the documentation for every new members' audition while the members comment on them. She skims through the chats and catches Jinsol's chat of OHMYGOD GUYS THIS KID!!! followed with a lot of crying emoji and love emoji.

Haseul turns off her phone's screen and puts it inside her pocket.

***

"Have you seen the new members' audition videos?" Sooyoung asks the next day, when they grab lunch together outside the cafeteria. With the amount of times they spend together during the last two years in the club, always preparing for competitions - solo, group, choir, band, anything - Haseul is closer to her club members than her classmates. 

Haseul shakes her head, picking a small, black dot from her rice in her lunchbox. It's just a fibre from her sweater. "You were there yesterday?" she looks up at Sooyoung.

Sooyoung has the type of face that makes you realize that you're in love and , there's nothing you can do about it. She's a perfect mix of mesmerizing and intimidating, especially after she cut her long hair last week.

"I was," Sooyoung nods, her chopstick stops mid-air as she contemplates what to eat next from Haseul's lunchbox. She decides on eggroll. "One of them is very kindly sing last. If he went first, I bet the other kids will just quit on the spot. Them, and probably all of us too. No point in singing when there's someone who sounds like that." 

In return for her lost eggroll, Haseul takes kimchi from Sooyoung's lunchbox. "He's that good? I didn't watch the videos."

Sooyoung finishes munching her food before she replies. "In Jinsol's words... Beyonce has a secret child in South Korea."

***

Jinsol probably has noticed that Haseul hasn't been to the club for three weeks straight now for various reasons, that's why she's giving her a free pick-up service, standing in front of Haseul's class and linking her arm with hers as soon as Jinsol spots her. Haseul doesn't resist because Jinsol doesn't question her lousy reasons.  

"A small detour." But she does pull Jinsol towards the back of the building.  

"You're so sweet, you know that?" Jinsol says when she sees Haseul takes out cat's food from her bag. Jinsol sees the world with rose tinted glasses; everything is romantic and melodramatic.

Haseul crouches down and pulls the small bowl she puts in the corner under the window. "Your bar's a little too low, Jinsol." She fills the bowl with food, before she puts it away and waits. She doesn't have to wait for long before several cats come out from the little park near their university's building. Apparently, they know her schedule.

But she doesn't remember putting away the bowl the last time. 

Haseul sees some new faces when she arrives at the club's room. Their club's leader, Jeonghan, is talking to someone in a button-down shirt and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, whose face included in the new category. 

"Beyonce's secret child," Jinsol helpfully supplies information with a whisper in Haseul's ear.

She only nods, turning away from the sight. It's not that she doesn't care about him in particular, no, it's nothing personal.

Haseul just doesn't care about a lot of things lately. 

Haseul gets to hear him sings later that afternoon, when they casually rehearsing a song. His name is Lee Seokmin, and Haseul has to admit that Jinsol is right. Even as he jokes around with his friend, randomly serenading to each other, Seokmin belts out high notes like it's nothing.  

He catches her staring, and he grins, bowing his head politely. 

Haseul bows back and walks away. 

***

Haseul is not... sad.

She's not happy, but she's not sad either.

She's just... being.

***

The Music Club is preparing themselves to enter yet another competition, and they have finalized the line-up. Haseul isn't in it, because Haseul told Jeonghan that she's swamped with journals and papers. He doesn't believe her, but he understands, and he crosses off Haseul's name from Solo. Seokmin's name is on top of the list. His name is on all lists. 

"Haseul Sunbaenim?" 

Haseul comes to her senses - she's been staring outside the window for who knows how long - and looks to the side. Seokmin is standing in front of her, in his polo shirt and his messy thick hair, staring at her with eyes that reminds Haseul of a dog. No glasses this time.

"Yes?" she asks. She's actually surprised that he knows her name. She's not very active in the club.