“Quick on your feet! Nifty!” Seyeon laughed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before picking the ball up again. “Though for now sounds really ominous, noona… What would you need for your silence?“ Was bribery the way to go? Likely not, but Seyeon hoped maybe paying for ice cream would be a good start regardless. Not that he needed it, at this point the world already knew that he was great at repping the clown emoji. “Have you been having fun this afternoon? At least a little bit?” He smiled. “The games are a bit silly at times, no? But I think it’s sweet in a misguided kind of way that they’re trying to make us all bond. Feels a bit like kindergarten but…” He shrugged. “Are you excited to see more of Oahu?”

“don’t be so dramatic noona, pools get cleaned.” he huffed, diving under water again before coming back up again as if that proved his point in any way shape or from. “the water is constantly being filtered not to mention there is like, a bunch of chemicals in there. i’d worry more about the seawater being disgusting than this.” not that yuanjun was against the thought of swimming in the sea either, he wasn’t one to be squeamish about such things. even though sometimes it was probably in his best interest to be. he watched over the edge of the pool as the female got up from her seat, not able to surprise the little victorious smile as she gave in after all, even if a bit reluctantly so. at the accusation he shrugged simply. “sometimes it be like that you know?” he shot back simply. “and? i told you the water was nice right?”

“Dramatic? I think I’m the one being more realistic between the two of us.” Eunhee snorted. “Do you really think that chemicals really clean everything? Besides, the chemicals they use in pools can be just as damaging as germs.” Despite her words, she found herself getting in the pool anyway, leaning against the edge of it and not really going in any farther. She was still trying to get used to the drastic temperature change between the heat of the sun’s rays on her body versus being immersed in a body of cool water. “At least the ocean has properties that naturally cleanses it.” Although she had a feeling that Yuanjun didn’t really care too much. He was still a kid, one that found joy in splashing around in water. It was heartwarming in a way. “No, I don’t know. The water could be better, but it’ll do.” 

there was always a sort of unspoken rivalry between all the companies which is why this joint retreat seemed even more ridiculous. hyeju was aware that deep down, each one of those ceos was thinking to themselves that they were the better out of the bunch. “true, but i’m also pretty sure bang is making the most money these days. your company’s groups are doing quite well, and i know that makes byungchul furious.” she clicked her tongue before leaning forward to tap her fingers on the table. “you can blame everything on the guy. i love seeing other groups flourish because i know it pisses byungchul off.” the distaste she had for her ceo was evident, and she wasn’t afraid to talk of it. 

Eunhee had no idea why the CEOs of all three of the companies tried to continuously push the idea that they all got along, when in reality, they wanted nothing more than to one up the other. She had to say that, out of the three, Byungchul was the most aggressive one when it came to proving himself to be the best of the three. His power moves were always blatant and obvious. Bang was a lot more subtle with her strategy, something that Eunhee couldn’t help but respect immensely. And Yeongjin.. Let’s just say it was a good thing Dongwook was taking over. “I guess that’s true.. Origin’s raking in the money these days.” She chuckled. “That’s always a good way to look at it. Besides, that won’t stop you from getting money in your pocket, right? 

“Just leave?” Ash sounded dazed at her response. He hadn’t really considered leaving without having a good reason in his back pocket to pull out if anyone decided it was rude of him to make such an early exit. For all the difficulties he had put his manager through at times because of his frequently dramatic emotional drive, he rarely failed to come up with some kind of excuse for what he was doing so he could try to cover his ass when he inevitably got in trouble. He needed to be granted some kind of unspoken permission even when he was deliberately trying to defy that expectation of him.

“Okay, we can just… leave.” He nodded in agreement once he’d moved past the way Eunhee’s suggestion had taken him off guard. “Leave to somewhere? Or are we just,” Ash searched for an explanation of the other option and it took him a moment to collect his thoughts into words, “just… leaving? Without a plan?”

Eunhee was a little confused by how dazed and confused Ash sounded, and her eyebrows rose in question. Was there a reason that they couldn’t just leave? She glanced around them, noting that there weren’t any people who were particularly paying them any attention. It wasn’t like they were really on anyone’s radar at that moment, there was no reason why they couldn’t slip away unscathed. Eunhee had done that many times before, sneaking away from parties and events when she became too restless and antsy to stay any longer. She’d never been questioned about it before, although she supposed she did have a little bit more lax rules than Ash did. Being in a group versus being a soloist really was different. 

She chuckled at his confusion, shaking her head slightly. “Just come on.” She reached out and grabbed his arm, gently pulling him along with her. It took her a second to realize that maybe it wasn’t such a good look for them to leave like that; her holding his arm. She dropped it almost immediately, shooting him a slight smile. “Sorry. I just..” She shrugged. “Don’t want people to get the wrong idea, you know?” She’d been burned before, and she wasn’t trying to relive that again, especially because Ash had a much larger fanbase than the first guy it had happened with. 

     the pout lasted only for a few moments before he allowed himself to indulge in the food placed in front of him. perhaps it stood out a bit too much that haseon was more invested in the nourishment rather than the company around him. there were plenty of opportunities to mingle, to maybe network and create lasting friendships that will benefit him in the long run —- that’s rough terrain, though, because there’s nothing more tragic than having your name smeared by someone you’re only friends with for popularity. so he kept to himself for the dinner, only offering pleasantries when addressed and allowing conversations to fade out by becoming increasingly enamored with the meal.

     the silence meant there was an audience, though perhaps not an intentional one. but it was an audience nonetheless. amused glances and light huffs ensued from the chastisement and haseon felt the tips of his ears warm. ❝ what, are the dinner table manners gods going to sweep down and steal my food ? ❞ that would’ve only had an opportunity to happen the night before, where the more paranoid part of him was wary of seagulls ready to snatch his food away. but at least eunhee, a face he recognized but a person whom he’d never really spoken to even in spite of a shared debut year, had handed over the chow. he couldn’t really be infuriated then by the minor humiliation could he ? … could he ?

june 2nd, dinner party. open!!

“so, which one of the three ceos do you think paid the most money for this shitty dinner?” hyeju had taken a seat at some random table, getting sick and tired of the fake socialization that she was being forced into. the dress that hwayoung had picked out for her was proving to be uncomfortable, and she had thrown her heels off the moment she sat down, needing some freedom from all the restriction. she leaned back into her seat in a manner that would have had her parents disappointed, and she slouched a bit more just to imagine pissing them off a bit more. “i wonder who thought up of this genius trip. forced publicity is the best kind of publicity, am i right?” 

Eunhee had long since decided to sit down after two hours of walking around and mingling with people. She had spent her day traipsing along a hiking trail, a bad idea on her part, because her feet were now aching in the heels she’d been given by her wardrobe stylists. No one had bothered her until Hyeju came over, something she didn’t really mind because she could have used the company. Plus, Hyeju was a good friend of hers, so she enjoyed her company way more often than not. “Normally I would say Byungchul, but Bang probably spent more just so she could prove herself to the other two. Women always need to go above and beyond just to be acknowledged over a man who’s doing the bare minimum.” She sipped lightly at her wine. “I’m going to blame that one on your boss.”

“ i always liked the idea of handmade gifts ━i’m not the craftiest kid in the bunch, just know some skills in everyday life i’m probably not going to use as often as one would, but you know… things are always so much more meaningful when they come from your hands, with their little cracks and mistakes. ” he had enough small bottles to cover mars and most of the people he loved the most ━may those vitamin shots being in a glass bottle he’s been able to wash and clean and reuse━, with the soft rumbling of the sea being as encouraging as eunhee’s presence next to him. he really hoped she was somehow enjoying an activity that wasn’t crazy wild, just fun and simple and somehow genuine in the sea of the scheduled stuff tainting what was supposed to still be considered ‘a vacation’. “ thank you! ” larger hands moved to collect the offered seashell and have it carefully placed in the small plastic bucket he’s bought for a couple bucks nearby the residence, beaming a sunblessed smile at her. “ it’s for the people i love, so i want it to be more than nice ━you’ve got a favourite seashell, eunhee-ssi? ”

starter for: open ! setting: june 3rd, 2019 location: maui, hawaii 

vacations were for relaxing, spending time with friends, and having fun. so what harm would it do to indulge in a little flirting? daein would never call himself a player, he just liked having a little fun, was all. and while he wasn’t cocky in the slightest, the compliments he got from fans gave him some sort of confidence that he could win one of the locals over. oh was he wrong. after sneaking off from the mass of idols accompanying him (as he’d done the majority of the trip), he’d taken to the beach to test out his charms. it may have worked in impulse, but definitely not with the woman in front of him, because as soon as he offers his number he’s told to get lost. whether it’s because of the praise by fans or pride that refused to let him admit he’d just gotten rejected, daein stood at a standstill in utter shock until the sound of another caught his attention.

spinning around, he’d expected anything but another idol to be there, staring. could this get any more embarrassing? “i-” mouth closed just as quickly as it opens, the male scratched the back of his head, dumbfounded. the last thing he’d wanted was for things to have go that way, and certainly not with an audience. “i was asking for directions!” he lies, slipping back into korean as he speaks to the other. after a brief silence, he gives up the facade and lets out an exasperated sigh. “alright, alright. how much did you see?” daein asked, near wincing.

It was their first free day of the trip, and Eunhee was planning on making the best of it. That meant that she got up early the morning of the third of the month, going about her usual morning routine, before stopping in at the breakfast bar to grab a bite to eat. That gave her the opportunity to brush up on her English speaking skills, which weren’t necessarily the best. She could hold a conversation with someone, but she hadn’t practiced using English verbally in quite some time, usually only using it by typing it in order to communicate with fans on social media. After conversing with the staff at the breakfast bar, she was starting to feel a little bit more confident in her English, and began to use it a little bit more frequently throughout the day, talking to a few locals and staff throughout her time participating in the activities she had chosen for herself. She had just come back from a historical site when she came across one of her label mates speaking to a local.

when & where: june 4th, afternoon; game olympics ( open! )

“Watch out–” The beach ball missed narrowly. Seyeon stepped closer with an apologetic smile on his face. “Sorry about that! Aiming clearly isn’t my strong suit. “Did I hit you? Please tell me I didn’t, that’d be, like. Not in the spirit of teamwork, I guess?” For a moment he was busy picking up the ball before it could roll away again. “Okay, we’re all set–” Spoken bravely and too soon, clearly. The ball slipped out of Seyeon’s grasp and smacked him square in the face before bouncing away again. The rapper blinked, more confused than anything, before looking up again with an embarrassed giggle. “… For the sake of my dignity, can we pretend this just… never happened?”

at the accusation, he titled his head to the side a little, shooting her another apologetic smile. “i mean… i am sorry for splashing you, that was an accident.” in all honesty, yuanjun hadn’t expected his thin frame to be able to move all that much water to begin with. “but the pool is still really really nice you know? really noona, you should give it a try for yourself!” yuanjun had always had an affinity for pools, ever since he had been a child and with idol schedules, it had been far too long since he’d last found himself floating in such a large body of water. “i mean you’re already soaked now anyway which makes being in the water more pleasant probably. if it makes you feel better, you get to splash me in return! but you know, it’s your call noona.” and with that, he let himself fall back into the water.

“Nice? A pool where hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people have been in over the course of just this year alone?” Eunhee questioned with a raise of her eyebrows, hand coming up to remove her sunglasses so she could properly look at the younger male a few feet in front of her. She stared at him for several seconds, before sighing under her breath. She had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to let her get out of it that easily, and being the person that she was (one that didn’t like disappointing people), she found herself standing up from her spot on her poolside chair. “I wasn’t planning on getting soaked, but somebody wanted to pretend to be an Olympic swimmer.” She eased into the pool, frowning at the sudden change of temperature. 

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