no name

the walls sure are beautiful today.

or, well, that's the thought that runs through his mind every time he's forced into a contained space with rua. which isn't to say there's anything wrong with rua (he trusts his sisters' judgment when it comes to people, after all), but it is to say that something is probably wrong with youl, and perhaps at this point, he might as well acknowledge it's incurable.

compared to his spitfire older sisters who seem to define "life of the party" regardless of where they go, he's a little bit... different.

for example:

he should be thanking rua for treating him to coffee per a routine "check-in" requested as a favor by his sister. it's not the first time he's seen rua, after all. not the first time he's talked to her.

and yet—

the quiet practice room feels all the quieter, and youl stares at the wall. with much futility.

one second. two.

three.

hundreds of thousands of people would sacrifice their worldly possessions ten times over to be in his shoes right now.

as willfully ignorant as he attempts to remain (ignorance is bliss! can't be wrong if he doesn't know anything at all in the first place!), being a trainee makes it close to impossible to attain true enlightenment—complete ignorance of the bustling industry around him.

it wouldn't make sense after all: a so-called kpop wannabe who doesn't know nova's center?

unheard of!

so: he knows. being held captive by none other than that very same nova's center, son nabi! is something he should be thankful?happy?notterrified? for.

instead, as he curls up into a ball in the corner-most seat of the company coffee shop, trying to figure out how to make eye contact with the girl in front of him to be polite while simultaneously averting his gaze so she hopefully forgets he exists, he chokes on his iced coffee.

the caffeine sees youl's racing, anxiety-filled heart and decides to raise it. in-between quieting coughs and reddening ears, youl looks up from his sleeve and promptly decides to focus on a loose thread on his shirt instead. baby steps.

"i think... your cousin... i mean, if you..." youl coughs again. "—all of those sounded fine." was that too vague? he burns holes into the tear on his jeans. "um. the—happy birthday." the ice in his cup clinks miserably. "to—not to you. to your cousin."

who i don't know.

painfully shy! and the terrifying influence of his three older sisters has made him mildly afraid of girls beyond them </3 but he's otherwise a pretty sweet kid who works very hard! and he will attach himself to your side once he determines you're #reliable.

please plot with us................

(especially for halloween2k24 and trainee mission 19!)