botched

“Nothing worse than muscle memory being wrong. You think you can trust your reflexes and suddenly you’re getting stuck because your brain missed a new pattern,” Jaewook said, shaking his head an bit. “Maybe so… in the mean time, call me if you need someone.”

“right? that happens to me with choreography a lot. and the worst part is, when i try to think about what i did wrong and what the right move was, i can’t remember, because it was all muscle memory,” she sighed. a soft blush tinted her cheeks and she nodded. “i... i will. that means a lot. i mean..... i’m sure you’re really busy with your own group...”

she sighed, fixing bohye with a look. “if our group dissolves because of infighting because of your suggestion, i hope you take it to heart.”

“it wont. i wouldn't push you this way if i didn’t think he’s been trying to talk to you and chickening out this whole time, too. you’re both like ships passing in the night, bomi. one of you has to just talk to the other.”

“Thank you…” Jaewook muttered as she moved the hair out of his way, carefully untangling the earring from her hair. He was grateful she kept talking. “I bet… there’s a lot of moving parts to think about. I’d probably forget the steps even if I had to keep it in mind all the time.”

“a lot of times it feels like muscle memory, but the muscle memory is wrong, so i just get stuck with everything tied together,” she retorted. “at this point i think i need a special manager or stylist whose job is to make me less of a mess...”

he snorted. “yeah, it has. i remember we were all so concerned when they signed so many trainees for distich. we didn’t think we’d all get paid well,” he replied

“oh god, we were all so scared,” bohye giggled. “all the last minute additions too... bomi and sehwan coming out of nowhere..... we were sure this was going to crash and burn.”

“i know. i just need to find the right time,” bomi answered. “i don’t want it to be when something important is happening, so i don’t like…accidentally derail a promotion. but we’re always so busy..”

“yeah, but the longer you put it off, the bigger a deal it’s going to seem,” bohye insisted gently. “i think you just need to come right out and say it.”

“the expansion seems like a good sign, don’t you think? like, they know they’re getting overloaded and want to make a concerted effort to make sure everyone gets taken care of. i think we might be lucky.”

“that’s what i’m hoping too. and it means all the big financial risks with debuts are paying off too, if they have enough money to expand like that..... the company’s changed a lot since we debuted, huh?”

“Got it, I’ll be careful,” Jaewook said, hesitating for a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder to steady himself, to gently remove her earring. “Earrings must be finnicky pretty often when you’re wearing a mask…” he mused, cringing a bit at himself.

her eyes flickered downwards as she blushed, holding the rest of her hair out of the way to make it a little easier for him. “between the mask, the in-ear, and the earrings, it’s a mess sometimes,” she admitted quietly, smiling behind the fabric. “especially if they’re dangly. and if i put them on before the mask-- that gets annoying, but i always forget to do it the other way around.”

“we were lucky. i mean, there’s no saying yet but… i think our group can be one of the ones that lasts, you know?”

“we better be! we’re too popular in all of our parts not to be. maybe i’m putting too much trust in new age but i can only hope they won’t do us super dirty..”

bomi sighed, curling up beside bohye and cuddling into her. “no…..no, it’s nice to hear your opinion,” she answered quietly. “i just…..i hope and pray we can figure things out. and if we can’t, i hope i’m at least not putting him in more pain by being in the group.”

bohye gently wrapped an arm around bohye’s shoulder, frowning. she didn’t like it when her friends were hurting. “i mean...the only way you can find out, and see if it’s anything you can lessen, is by talking to him, right? it’s hard i bet, but it’s....necessary...”

“I can help, but… wouldn’t you need to take off your earring to get the hair unstuck?” Jaewook asked, moving closer to Bohye to help. “It might make it easier, anyway.”

“oh! the earring can come off...its uh...the mask that i’m not comfortable removing,” she answered, cheeks turning bright red under the fabric, eyes flashing to the floor. “thanks....i appreciate it.”

“i think so too– we lucked out with a pretty good group, huh,” jin answered with a laugh, finally giving in and letting her change the subject

“i think we did too! with twelve members.....the odds of everyone getting along so well are so small but.... we were really lucky.”

“i think we need to. eventually. i just… am scared. because i’m in the wrong, and i know i’m in the wrong. i did so much wrong. i wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to talk to me again. but i miss him. and i also don’t want to fuck up the group dynamic…”

“with something that traumatic, though.....i feel like he could forgive you. i mean maybe i’m talking where i’m not needed, but he’s one of the kindest members of our group. and i know he cares about you, even if things are rough right now. i don’t know what happened but....with circumstances like yours? he’ll get it. i know he will.”

“it’s your eyes. and how you move. and just like… your general demeanor. you totally embody everything you’re doing, and it’s so captivating. a lot of people should take notes from you, bohye. seriously.”

“i... it’s probably just because i have to compensate for half my face being hidden,” she answered, quickly trying to deflect and make excuses, turning bright red. “i think all of distich is pretty charismatic....”

“i just… we used to date. seriously. and… something traumatic happened, and we haven’t really talked since,” bomi sighed. “he did nothing wrong, though– i know me being that vague makes it sound like he hurt me or something. it was no one’s fault. it just was…a lot. and it hasn’t been dealt with.”

at the words something traumatic, and with her clarification afterwards, bohye racked her brain for situations before finally landing one what she figured it must be, gasping a little despite herself. “god, what luck you both have, being put in the same group,” she commented with a little tsk. “do ... you think you’ll ever talk about it?”

“do i? i thought people saw me as rather uncharismatic,” achara admitted.

“no, i don’t think that’s true at all! maybe a little awkward offstage, but when you’re onstage i think people can’t help but watch you. honestly!”