Even though he was young, there were certain aspects of his life that Kanto took very serious and his career was number one on that list. Whenever his manager informed him of a new gig, whether it was a big venue or an obscure one, the rapper gave it top priority and begin the necessary preparations. The nervousness never fully settled within until the day of, a few minutes before it was time for him to perform. It was only a brief feeling, being replaced with the rush of adrenaline seconds after and by the time he was out on stage he was powered by unwavering fearlessness.
Tonight was no different, the crowd was a little larger than some of his last gigs, but that just meant it would be more chances for him to create a new fan or two. “You ready?” The stage manager called out from his position at the curtain that was blocking the stage and Kanto gave a short nod from the corner he had been practicing in. Heading over to join the stagehand, he was fitting for ear plugs since the sounds and lights all happening at once could disorient a person while on stage. As soon as the mic was passed to him, he was rushed through the curtain into the glaring lights and roar of the crowd.
Everything from the point was going in slow motion, there was barely a beat of breath between when he hit the mark on stage and the music started after that he launched into action. The hype of the crowd empowered him and his performance went off without a hitch. After joining a few of his peers on stage for collabs or just hyping the crowd for them, the rapper disappeared backstage to grab his phone and hand over his gear from stage to a crew member. Planning to hang around and see the rest of the performers, the blond made his way out to the main floor, accepting compliments on his show as well as signing a few autographs and posing for a picture or two.
Excusing himself from a small crowd that had gathered to talk to him, the rapper made his way over to the bar to order himself a beer, glad that performers were able to drink for free since cash was a little tight at the moment, at least until this gig paid off. Once he received his drink, an immediate sip was taken needing to feel the cool liquid in his dry throat. Since his dorm wasn’t too far from this location, he had taken a taxi over and didn’t have to worry about staying completely sober to drive himself home. Turning the bottle up once more, Kanto noticed one of his hyungs just on the other side of the bar and after leaving a tip headed over to greet him. By now the club was packed to the point that it was hard to navigate through and the blond was bumped from the side causing him to crash into the person to his right.
“Shit, my bad,” Kanto replied, feeling drink splash on his arm and let out a sigh. He looked down at the mess before his gaze landed on the face of a pretty female. He knew her, but it took a moment for the memory to come to mind since it had been over a year when they last spoke. “Yuri?” Kanto replied, and eyebrow lifting before a grin formed on his face. “Am I dreaming or is this really Miss Yuri standing before me?” He chuckled, glancing at the male that was standing next to her. “You remember me? Kanto? Been a long time.” The rapper took a sip of his drink, unable to really feel like he could carry on a conversation with an old acquaintance in this atmosphere. “They have rooms upstairs, V.I.P, it’s a lot quieter there. Maybe we can go catch up, yeah?”
Yuri felt like she had run against the Great Wall of China, however she remained stainless of the liquor in her hand, keeping her glass far enough just in case something could splash onto her white crop top in the further process. “That was close-” Her eyes trailed upwards, her brothers arm instantly moving in front of her as an attempt of protection, but Yuri gently pushed it off. All alarms were unnecessary when she recognized the young man. Hesitantly, her thick lips twitched into a smile, feeling sudden gratitude that her brothers had dragged her there. “Kanto? I’m– of course I remember you. Jesus, you have grown up.” She grinned, remembering she used to tease him for his young age.
A wave of relief washed over her - he didn’t seem dismissive towards her, although she had imagined it to be that way each time her late night thoughts were plaguing her with the past, and also him. Though that wasn’t entirely negative, she always was a little afraid to meet him again, only for his reaction. Yuri now knew it was only a bunch of time consumptive thoughts. Back then, both had dropped off the radar, both for their own reasons, but neither had left the other alone.
“I’d like that. It’s been way too long, I didn’t think I could find you here.” Her eyes glanced upstairs, trying to muster out where said V.I.P rooms were located. She exchanged a few quick words with her younger brother, just to make sure he wouldn’t go and tell Sungjin. Uisoo, full of caution, glanced at the unfamiliar boy just about the same height before slowly taking a step back and vanishing off somewhere between the masses of people.
