𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆

there's a sort of ease that comes with this being a comeback and not a debut for miru. of course, the pressure is still there with her being their leader and all that, but she's gotten a hang of how things work around here, which has made it possible for her to actually breathe.

with the success that came with girlnextdoor, it's become pretty clear that the company won't be shying away on doing the most they can with them. makes sense with how fast this industry moves as the last thing they want is for the group to become irrelevant.

it's why she thinks the whole album is a nice move in the right direction. while their debut sounded a little too young for her. it fit with the vibe they seemed to be going for, but it wasn't to her taste. this comeback, however, was exactly what she imagined when she thought about becoming an idol.

sophisticated yet still in line with the image that girlnextdoor was trying to portray. the outfits were cute but not too outlandish, and the album in itself seemed to fall into place. while miru couldn't predict the future, she doesn't see how this album couldn't do as well as the last one.

the new faces were definitely something to see as well. having nayoung back was the cherry on top, in miru's opinion, as she constantly brought something to the stage. sakura was a nice addition, too. there was something fresh about her. a rookie charm that the others have lost in the last couple of months.

the door to the won's house was always pretty wide open. something about how they had to be welcoming to everybody were her father's words, but she just thinks it's becaus they can't seem to say "no" to anybody. need a place to rest? they'll let you sleep for a night. need some food? here's some tteok.

did mihyang love it? not really, but it's not like she had any say in what goes on in the won household.

despite all that, however, this is a new experience for herself. when she heard a slight rustle toward the attic of her home, mihyang thought it was probably a bird building a nest or a stray cat. what she didn't expect to find was a person. she thinks she's seen him around town before, but she can't put a name to the face.

she doesn't even get the time to think either because there's ruckus toward the gates of her home. she looks down and signals for him to stay quiet before heading out. "what may i do for you?" she offers them her warm smile as they explain that they're chasing a thief. ran off with something of value—the words are muffled in her ears as all she can think about is that there's a very high chance the man in her attic is very much this so-called thief.

"i haven't seen anybody like that around here. i suggest you try looking around the square? there are many paths with dead-ends," she suggests. a sigh of relief leaves her lips as she watches them walk away from her home.

turning away from seeing her brother and yeonseong's, mihyang can't stop the sigh from leaving her lips. this was what? her brother's third attempt at the civil service exam? at this point, she thinks it'd be quicker for her to disguise herself as her brother and pass the test for him. though, that would be a disservice to whatever role they put him in if he were to pass.

"do you think they do better when they're studying together, or should they be separated?" she whispers to yeonseong with a slight chuckle hidden in her voice. yeonseong's brother wasn't the first person to come over to the won's to get help with his studying. with her family's reputation, there was always someone knocking at their door, begging for their help.

while her and yeonseong's brother were stuck getting lessons, she was given the lovely task as acting as babysitter for yeonseong. and she means it when she says lovely because one, he's great company, and two, with him around, her family has started nagging a lot less about her marriage.

miru doesn't love the idea.

no, on second thought, that's quite an understatement. she thinks it's risky, and that hyrda is pushing with an idea that won't work. nevertheless, ever since she had her mind on being an idol, miru was aware that she didn't have much of a choice.

despite what the company says about artistic freedom and being given the chance not to sign this contract, a part of her knows deep down that if she says no now, there's a high chance they won't consider her for future projects—whatever they may be.

without much consideration, she signs the contract. while she was always told to be careful of what she signed, she liked to believe that every opportunity would be a good one. she's not sure what this co-ed project will provide for her, but it'll be another point of exposure. that couldn't be too bad, could it?

and who knows? maybe she'll find it fun at the end of the day. maybe. the members seemed like fun. almost an avengers-like line up, if you asked her. naimei and chaeyeon. probably the best choices for a group like this with how versatile they were. she'll probably be the medium in between, offering a sort of softness compared to their powerful presence.

miru looks up at her manager sitting in front of her before handing over the brown envelope with her signed contract, offering him a soft smile to assure him that she's on board with whatever hydra has in mind for her. in other words, she'll be their obedient little puppy as long as they keep her mind for whatever projects they'll hold in the future.

it wasn't uncommon for potential suitors to approach mihyang whenever the spring social season came by. technically, she's been introduced to society and was available for marriage for a couple of years now. was she interested? a bit. who wouldn't want a romance story to come true, right? however, everybody seemed to approach her for all the wrong reasons.

suitor number one.

he was pretty clear with what he wanted from her from the get-go. something about his elderly mother—he was the seventh of nine children, bleh—needing someone to take care of her, and who else would be perfect for that but her? his exact words, by the way. mihyang almost flipped the table, but she stopped once the faces of her own parents popped into her mind. instead, she very politely told him to stick it up his ass and walked right out without even waiting for tea.

now, number two.

he came dressed in silks that mihyang swears she's only seen worn by the noble family. there were some families out there who were as rich, sure, but she wasn't sure if any of them could actually get their hands on such silk. when she sat down for a meal with him, he couldn't stop talking about how much money he and his family had. all she could do was smile and play along with him like some teacher because it was pretty clear he just needed someone to perk up his ego. let's just say, mihyang used all her might to make sure she never had to see him ever again.

number three seemed decent at first, but then she caught him snooping around her house the second time he had come over. she's pretty sure he was after some of the scripts and texts her family owned. why? mihyang still doesn't know the answer to that, but he was too dumb for her anyway, so she wasn't too upset that he ended up being just another guy on the list of people who wanted to marry her just to gain some honor to his name.

🍃 SECTION I — Identity

Name: won mihyang, a beautiful scent (원미향)

Clan: the won's are mostly known for their brains and honor; not the richest family out there, but they work closely aside the royal family

The Reputation: mihyang has everything that mothers would want in their future daughter-in-law. she's poised, eloquent, always carrying herself with dignity, but doesn't withold too much pride that their precious little sons wouldn't be able to say a word to her. however, few have been able to get a genuine smile out of her, and nobody can actually tell what's going on in that head of her's.

🦋 SECTION II — Aura

Color: a calm blue that mimics the color of the ocean. so deep yet light at the same time with little glimmers of white that look closer to gold if she's fired up in some way.

Trigger: a red-and-white camelia. one that specifically looks like the one she imagines in her head. apparently that's what she asks for whenever someone tries to court her, but she always says it's not the one she's looking for, but if someone were to bring her the perfect camellia, they may receive her heart in return.

The Interpretation: the warmth of the blue seems to mimic her intelligence and soft-spokenness. they say she's a gentle soul who knows all the right words to say and how to present herself in front of others. only mihyang sees how dark it can really turn when someone wrongs her or bad mouths her family.

🌷 SECTION III — The Heart

Arrangement: she's been courted before, mostly by ambitious young men who claim that they're the perfect fit for her. she's turned most of them down as nobody's actually shown genuine interest in who she is as a person. most of them are after the honor that comes with the won name. plus, she claims that she has more important errands to run, such as making sure her siblings are well-taken care of. her silly older brother can't seem to pass the civil servant exam, despite coming from the won family, and her two younger sisters are far too busy trying on new hanboks that they always find themselves getting into minor incidents here and there. her heart's always out in the open, or so she says, but nobody seems to really have caught it yet.

Memory: the journal and feathered pen mihyang always seems to carry has a tendency to writes little words on their own. she can't always tell what they're supposed to mean, but a voice in the back of her head sometimes tells her to sing it. and so she does. what it all means? she doesn't entirely know, but the melodies seem familiar for some reason.

right when miru felt like she was finally getting the hang of this whole industry, hydra throws her a curveball. "a co-ed group? do those things even work out anymore?" she recalls whispering to haru as soon as their secret mini meeting ended. of course, not loud enough so the staff can't hear her. nevertheless, she's a little doubtful of the whole thing.

however, she's also miru, which means that she chooses to weigh the benefits and risks of everything before making a choice, and the lists she made seem to heavily lean toward this being more of a positive than a negative. more exposure is always positive in this world, isn't it?

that's how she finds herself sitting across from haru in the company building cafeteria, eating away at a pasta salad that she's convinced herself is the best choice for dinner, sharing her thoughts about this whole thing. "so, what do you think?" she says before taking a bite from her salad, looking up at him with intrigued eyes.