detached.

Juno raised an eyebrow at her words, only partially taking them in.  He wasn’t necessarily interested in what she had to say, and even less interested in her personal life, but he had asked for some reason, and now he had to listen to her answer.  “Sounds like a stand-up guy,” he muttered, his tone sarcastic as his lips wrapped back around the cigarette.  From what he had picked up, he actually sounded a lot like his own step-father, if they just traded Chinese for Japanese.  In a way, he could relate to her words.  “People seem to be more up your ass than anyone else’s, from what I’ve heard. Must be because you all go to Mokwon or something.  They like the idea of personally catching an idol red handed.”

“what, labeling you lazy sloth? i can think of much better, but my thinking capacity can’t afford to be wasted on such minimal things.” he answers languidly, lips stretching in a smile. there’s a sharpness to each of their tones that would be mistaken as dislike to anyone else. it’s not dislike, nor is it like. it’s more like companionship between the two, and he’s in no stage or position to complain about it. “clearly, you would be more desperate going to anyone else. i’m flattered, juno-ah. your number one source of entertainment.”

Juno simply shrugged a shoulder in response, having nothing more to say about the topic.  Most of their conversations followed this format.  The two would talk about something for just a minute before one of them grew bored of it and dropped it, changed the subject to something else until they grew bored of that as well.  It was just a cycle of disinterest between the two of them, but it was enough to keep the younger entertained.  It worked out well for them, and he couldn’t find similar company in many others.  “Don’t let it go to your head.  It’s big enough already.”

their form of call and response works like this: kyunghwan speaks for the most part, and juno fills in the pauses here and there with clipped retorts. he’d learned that this kind of interaction isn’t just exclusive for kyunghwan a long time ago, and had made habit of not taking it personally.

Juno couldn’t remember what compelled him to agree to drinks.  Granted, of all people who might have asked him, it wasn’t exactly surprising that he agreed to Kyunghwan.  He would never describe the two of them as friends, but they were on decent terms.  The elder was Royalty, which gave them reason to hang around each other, and he never seemed to question Juno’s bad attitude.  As long as he gave an answer every few minutes, nodded along to the conversation, the two didn’t run into any problems when they were together.  He had to admit, it was nice to have someone around that would fill the silence on his own instead of looking to the younger to do it for them.

“Sure, they would sell knock-offs in the brand’s own shop, please tell me more.” He huffed, running his fingers through his hair. That last comment was totally a reach, and the point where Minchan just took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, because he started to realise he shouldn’t take the remarks falling from the other’s lips seriously. Plus, who the fuck is Juno anyway? Minchan had no reason to try proving himself to the other one. It was enough if he was aware he looked like he stepped out of the latest issue of Céci. There was literally zero point in wasting energy for it.  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you want to make up for your lack of height with trying so hard to insult me or my clothes.” He cocked his eyebrow, looking down at the shorter male with a small smirk. 

Despite the other’s attempt at rebuttal, it was completely obvious that Juno was getting under his skin.  It was almost laughable to have Minchan try and talk back to him.  The fact that the other hadn’t realized he was pulling bullshit out of his ass was insane to him.  Was it not obvious that he was just saying this to piss him off?  Did he not understand how Rich Assholes worked?  Sure, money counts for a lot, but he clearly had no spot on the top of the pyramid if he couldn’t handle some harmless comments that obviously weren’t true.

The word ‘cheap’ kept echoing in his mind, and God, he was really close to become hysterical. His fists were clenched as he kept glaring at the shorter. He really, really, really wanted to punch him, his Mingyu hyung probably would even be proud of him for ‘fucking up’ with that speed, but Minchan was still keeping himself as composed as possible. “No offense, but are you fucking blind? This looks cheap?” He kept motioning at the emblem on his jacket. “Isn’t your mom a fashion designer? I thought you’d know better.” He murmured though gritted teeth.

For the first time in a while, Juno felt a chuckle bubbling out of him.  It wasn’t often that he actually laughed out loud, or showed any form of positive emotion aside from a smirk, but this conversation was just too funny.  He had to physically swallow his own laughter, looking down at the ground to hide the smile on his face.  If Minchan could get offended this easily, he probably shouldn’t be a Rich Asshole in the first place.  Maybe that rumor was started for a reason.  Once he had calmed himself down, he cleared his throat, glancing up to make it seem like he was examining the jacket closer, “Looks like a knock-off.”

“Someone’s probably just got bored of no one bitching about me and thought it would be fun to spread some bullshit. I guess I underestimated just how relevant I am.” Minchan rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. Juno’s next comment though… it made his blood boil. “What’s wrong with my fashion sense?” He was nearly hissing at the shorter. Minchan was a rather patient person, he probably handled the whole rumour issue better than anyone else would, but when someone was insulting his fashion sense, it was like the end of the world for him. He didn’t keep up with fashions shows from all over the world, ordering the newest clothes from everywhere to have someone barely even reaching his shoulder even think about commenting it negatively.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he muttered, leaning back against the wall with a raise of his eyebrow. Ah, now he was getting somewhere.  Juno had to stop himself from laughing out loud at the reaction he had received.  God, it was just too easy.  “It just seems so,” he narrowed his eyes, acting as if he was examining the other’s outfit.  Pursing his lips, he cocked his head to the side, almost innocently.  He sucked in a deep breath, quietly exhaling his answer, “Cheap.”  As the child of a fashion designer, he immediately recognized the brands that the other was sporting.  He had some similar items in his own closet, but that was hardly the point.  Although it was obvious that his words weren’t true, it didn’t matter to him.  If he just had to throw around some half-assed insults to push the other off of the edge, he would be happy to do so.

“Just because it’s what you hear, it doesn’t mean it’s true.” Minchan huffed, glaring at the shorter male. “I always thought you were better than to fall for some stupid ass rumour though. Anyway, I’ll let you know, I’m still more than wealthy, my billions didn’t go anywhere from my bank account, but thanks for your concern. Totally means the world for me.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm and he didn’t even bother trying to fade it. If there was one thing Minchan really regretted, it was not working out, because damn he really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. But then again he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing the whole thing pissed him off more than necessary.

“You know, usually, I’d ignore dumb rumors, but some are so outrageous that there just has to be some truth to it,” he hummed quietly, practically basking in the other’s irritation.  In all honesty, he knew it was nothing more than a baseless rumor.  There was no way that someone could just weasel their way into the top tier, especially someone like Minchan.  But that didn’t mean it wasn’t funny. Finally pulling his gaze away from the pamphlet, he gave the other a quick once-over.  “It must be your fashion sense.  Have you been raiding the clearance section lately?”

Hearing the question made Minchan wince and closed his eyes taking a deep breathe before he turned to the direction of the voice. It has only been like ten minutes since he arrive, and people already were picking on him. How fucking amazing. He couldn’t say he was surprised someone actually asked it though, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have the urge to punch the person in the face. Too bad he knew he wasn’t exactly someone who could deliver a successful punch. So he just tried his best to calm himself down, and flashed a fake smile at the other. “Of course I can afford it, Juno.” He nodded firmly. 

Juno never paid much attention to rumors.  They were unimportant, and never focused on him, so he saw no real reason to listen to them.  But that didn’t mean he didn’t hear whispers around him, each a new attempt to ruin one of his classmates.  Recently, he had found them to be whispering about another Rich Asshole, and he couldn’t just ignore that.  Besides, he could always use a reason to tease his clique mates.  “That’s not what I’ve been hearing,” the shorter replied with a small smirk, pleased to find that he had pushed the right button.

“a human embodiment of a sloth, how generically specific. we should start calling you that. as for you sneaking up.. shouldn’t i be the one asking you that?” he questions, eyebrows quirking up to an arch. not that it wasn’t surprising to see him, of course. he had always thought that juno would be the type of person to stay indoors most of the time or just peer out from his bedroom window, not wander around such as he had. yet here he is, face to face with him as though it’s the simplest thing in the world. no doubt they’re both looking for something to get away from reality.

“Do what you want,” the younger stated with a bored shrug, crossing his arms over his chest.  Had he not just said that he had no intention of sneaking up on Mingyu?  “I need entertainment.  Clearly, I’m desperate if I’m coming to you.”  That wasn’t necessarily true, but there was no reason to point that out.  He liked the other, at least as much as he could like another person.  There was no bad blood between them, and they seemed to be similar enough to the point that they understood each other. Plus, he was currently Juno’s best (and only) option, so he couldn’t exactly complain.

Tragic. 

For a party that occurred every year, Junho would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy the annual trip.  The resort was beautiful, and it gave him a chance to get out of his apartment and have some fun.  Most of his time would be spent in the spa, of course, but it was by far the best spa he had ever visited.  Hell, he might have made the trip just for one of the resort’s massages.  Eyes scanning over one of the pamphlets in the lobby, his ears picked up a familiar voice.  Raising an eyebrow slightly, he spoke with a bored tone , “Can you even afford to have someone carry your bags, Minchan?”

mingyu’s careful about the way he presents himself, from the rips of his jeans to the clearly visible tightness of his shoulders as he sits on the wooden bench. however, the carefulness is shattered by the thin cigarette hanging from between his lips as though it’s been made to be there. his line of sight moves quickly, capturing people that he’s never seen before in his life. and he doesn’t miss the occasional time where their gaze flash to him before doing that thing they all do, where they look away abruptly and quicken their pace just a footstep faster.

It wasn’t that Juno didn’t enjoy the comfort of his apartment; if he was being honest, he enjoyed it much more than any other location in the country.  But after a missed call and a message from his father, he realized that it would be in his best interest to vacate the area until further notice.  That was how he found himself wandering around the city, looking for something -- anything -- to do until it was safe to assume that his father had given up on searching for him.  That was all he needed, really: just a small escape for the next few hours.  Maybe he would even be able to get hammered in the process, if he was lucky enough.

Juno just shrugged, taking a long drag of his cigarette before pulling it away from his lips.  He let the smoke settle in his lungs for a moment before exhaling.  He wasn’t going to go on about the stress that he thought she had.  Hell, he wasn’t even interested enough to find out what she meant.  Instead, he dropped the subject and focused on the smoke that slowly disappeared in the air.  Suddenly, she was talking about her family, and although he would normally rather dig his eyeballs out with a spoon than listen to someone’s backstory, he had a decent enough amount of alcohol in his system to tolerate it.  “Well, is she?  A gold digging whore, I mean.”  He didn’t care how rude his words were, knowing that most people around here wouldn’t hesitate before throwing their parents under the bus. Maybe the fact that she cared more about her mother’s reputation than her own answered his question.  “Shouldn’t you worry about yourself?  A rookie idol with a scandal is a death sentence, I hear.”

He noticed as her shoulders sank slightly, her posture becoming more lax as she took a swig of her drink.  She must have realized that he honestly had no interest in her behavior, that he was of no threat to her reputation.  He didn’t have the energy to ruin people like most of the other Royalty did. “Yeah, no shit.  Bet you’ve got more to stress about than everyone here combined.”  He had heard about the lives that idols had to lead, always on their best behavior and forcing smiles as they drowned in practice and diets and pressure.  He could understand why she needed a cigarette. “Nah,” the sound slipped out passed his lips, simply dismissing her comment about him.  That just wasn’t true.  His mother was back in New York, safe from any reckless behavior on his part.  His father hadn’t raised him, and despite working toward the goal of running his company in the future years, not many people even knew he existed.  He almost wished that he could ruin his father, that he could do something to stir up shit in the old man’s life, but he wasn’t important enough to do that yet.  Right now, his behavior had no effect on anyone but himself, and he simply didn’t care enough to worry about it.  “The only thing I have in common with those rich kids is the cash.  I can do whatever the fuck I want.  No reputation to screw up but my own.”

“Not really the behavior you’d expect from an idol,” Juno muttered casually under his breath, not at all caring about the sight he had stumbled upon.  It wasn’t any of his business what the other did in her spare time; he hardly knew her anyway.  The only reason he remembered her name was her fame, which he paid very little attention to.  Idol groups weren’t exactly his cup of tea.  Pulling out a cigarette of his own, he struck the edge of a lighter and placed the lit stick in between his lips.  “Do you honestly think that people give a damn about what I do?  I don’t have a ‘perfect celebrity’ image to uphold.”

“I just... talked to him,” Juno replied with a confused expression.  Was it really that big of a deal?  If you treat a kid like a human being, chances are, they’re going to act like one.  That being said, he might have spoke to Mason in a nicer manner than he would have to any other human being.  Watching the young child giggle almost made him smile, immediately reminded of his little sister.  He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until he had to interact with someone of a similar age.  “I don’t even take care of myself.  I’d be a horrible kidnapper,” he muttered under his breath with a shrug of his shoulder.  She didn’t owe him anything, and by the looks of her, he doubted that she would be able to give him anything that he wanted anyway.  Instead, he just stood up and stared down at Mason, “Let me buy him some ice-cream.  He said it’s his favorite.”

“Unfortunately I think if I die first, I’ll stay dead,” he says with a loud, exasperated sigh, feigning disappointment with a crinkle to his nose. His lips twist and cheek inflates in an idle expression, gaze wandering to the sky. This topic is awfully morbid and Wren feels like he should change it but doesn’t manage to, breath coming out in a soft huff, “You think you’d replace me that easy? I like to think I’m a bit more unique than that – like to think people like me don’t often end up in prisons, either? Besides.” He glances over out of the corner of his eye, stifling his grin into a slight smile, “You might be a bit short to push prison people around the way you do, with me.”

“Technicality,” Juno let out a small chuckle, shrugging his shoulder casually, as if they weren’t talking about death.  He wondered if the other was upset with the topic, and considered changing it. Out of the two of them, he was completely unfazed by morbid conversation, but he could be courteous for once and drop it.  “I’m sure I could find someone like you in prison,” he started with a small hum of thought, “but not for murder.  Probably prostitution.”  The other’s comment about his height made him roll his eyes, reaching out to give Wren a punch in the arm, “Ha-ha, how fucking original.”

          “I’m disappointed.” Kyunghee couldn’t help but toss her test to the side of her desk, watching as the marked grade in red marker taunted her. “I studied all night. I even made flashcards. I never make flashcards.” She continued through a half-ramble, sputtering as she took a look at the person beside her. Kyunghee attempted to get a glimpse at their paper, leaning over her own desk and twisting across the aisle way to position herself. “What did you get?” 

Jang Junho did not do school work.  That was a given, and it was quite obvious by the fact that he never actually showed up to his classes.  But that didn’t mean he didn’t work when he needed to.  If he wanted to keep his father happy, he had to put forth some form of effort, and that happened every time he took a test.  As long as he aced every test he took and did major projects, he was able to manage a decent grade and pass his classes.  And that’s what he did this time.  Hardly glancing up at the sound of one of his peers, he passed over his test to show her his 94%.