Flowery Road

glow,

“not as sweet as you,” she’s quick to chirp back, smile sleepy as she watches the younger. she’s already happier, a teeny, tiny bit more awake with the girl’s presence. “and hm….i don’t know.” she muses, humming a long exaggerated thoughtful noise. she smiles, and shakes her head a bit, even if it looks a little lazy and dazed. “i wanted to make sure you got home safe.” she mumbles, shifting. “it’s okay! i’ll have time to nap later. i’m just happy you’re home.”

vanessa listens to sejeong quietly, playing with her hair more as she does. she’s careful to not tug it, focusing on the action to keep her mind awake and responsive. humming, she smiles at the girl when she looks at her. “as long as you love it.” she murmurs quietly. she doesn’t like how much it takes sejeong away, but who is she to deny her of what she wants to do? “you couldn’t let me down if you tried. as long as you’re happy, and we’re still together. that’s all i care about.”

“november? aah…” she lets out a whine, a bit more high pitched and a little loud, but it’s followed by a soft grumble and her pout. “waaay too long.” she sighs, nuzzling her head into sejeong’s shoulder. she hums at the kiss, smiling softly to herself. “what can i say? i was born with it~” she sings back, giggling. “you’re the same though. sweet and pretty and just– sejeong.” she sighs, happily,  nuzzling into the other more, as the pricklings of sleep begin to tug at her. “wouldn’t have you any other way than yourself.”

She chuckles, a smile coming across her lips, studying the older as much as she could in the darkness of the kitchen.  “I have no control over my sweetness to you~” she muses, happy to feel a little more like herself, having this banter with Vanessa.  “I’ve been told my kisses are sweet too, so if you ever want to find out, unnie~” she teases a bit before sighing contently. “I’m glad you did. It’s so weird coming home and everyone’s already in bed.  I’m used to there being some sort of activity around here.”

Her eyes close momentarily while she’s talking, the fingers playing with her hair are so soothing, she feels she could just drift off.  It was nice, so often she was the one trying to give others affection, it was nice to have it given to her first.  “I really do love it.  I wish there was a better balance, but it’s what I have to do, I guess.”  Her heart feels full, Vanessa’s always so kind and understanding to her, even in situations like this one, where Sejeong wouldn’t have blamed her for being annoyed at how often she was gone.  “I hope I can keep it that way.  You mean a lot to me, you know?”

For as much as she complained in her mind about how much she was missing her members and how tired she was trying to juggle both acting in her drama and preparing for the comeback, Sejeong was actually quite happy with being so busy.  It was kind of a throwback to her life before being a trainee, working multiple jobs and trying her best not to let her commitment to one ruin the other.  So far, she believed that at the very least she was doing a decent job at it, though, of course, throwing herself so much into work made the social aspects of her life suffer immensely.  With the odd schedule she was having, any time with the members was either super late at night or while they were all busy practicing.  She even was missing out occasionally with the weekly calls she would make with her family.  She really couldn't tell them the things she was working on, but she normally would inform them on the details of how she personally was doing.  It seemed odd not to be doing that.

Booked

when they are practicing for the comeback, it’s not only sejeong’s spot that is usually empty, but the whole atmosphere feels different without the other’s bright energy, and while she misses her member a lot through the day, she’s happy the older is busy doing something she loves and doyeon was determined to support her anyway she could. “whoa look who’s here!” doyeon exclaims happily, opening her long arms to give her a hug. although they lived under the same roof, it feels like she barely sees sejeong these days. 

a smile curves her lips upwards at the mention of her new photoshoot. she was proud of a lot of things she accomplished, but this dior contract was on top of her list. “what makes you think i wouldn’t save one for you?” she nudges sejeong lightly. “do you want to see some behind the scenes photos firsthand?” she asks with a proud grin, reaching for her phone to show the pictures she asked manager lee to take for her, but she ends up putting it down once sejeong shows concerns about the comeback preparations. “it’s going well, but uh… yeah it’s probably tough for you with the filming of your drama at the same time. if you need help or just someone to encourage you, i can go to practice with you at any time or we can practice here. i don’t need much sleep anyways. don’t forget we’re here for you, huh?”

Hearing Doyeon’s exclamation over her being able to make it to practice brought a smile to Sejeong’s face.  She missed everyone so much with her packed schedule and everyone was being so supportive of her that it made her feel very loved.  She immediately moved into Doyeon’s offer of a hug, giving the taller a hearty squeeze of affection. “I know it, right?  I was beginning to wonder if you all were looking for my replacement yet,” she joked, though she was quite glad they hadn’t.

Help!

as expected, the choreography wasn’t a complicated piece that needs to take days in order for her to comprehend. if anything, it was probably simpler than some of their previous releases. joy supposes it had something to do with the less exuberant nature of the song. after all, there needs to be more focus on the attitude that comes with the performance; less on the complexity of movements and more on the flair.

“it wasn’t bad at all.” joy replies affirmingly as soon as sejeong turns to her. seeing as she was now close to being able to perfect the choreography based on her self-imposed standards, she’s more than willing to extend a helping hand. even if she weren’t, she would always take the time to help them anyway. joy watches carefully and made quick comparisons before choosing the second one. “that one, for sure. maybe try extending your arm a little to really get a good feel of it.” she smiles. “if it still doesn’t seem right, focus on your arms first before you do the leg movement too.”

Sejeong knew she could count on Joy to steer her in the right direction in regards to fixing where she was going wrong with the steps.  She was far better of a dancer than Sejeong was, so if anyone could help her get caught up (not that the others couldn’t too), it was Joy.  Sejeong just hoped she wasn’t so far behind that she’d embarrass the group when it finally came to to perform.

“you, player, you.” though jinah giggled as she said it. sejeong was very much a player. “i’ll have to keep you from all of the laides. what if you forget about little old me.” and she was happy to hear that she could pull off a grain bag. “let’s hope that we won’t get to that point.” she wasn’t eager to test it out. “one day, i’ll cover the magazines like doyeon and sohee one day.” 

“a spy!” jinah clapped her hands together. “i think i’d like being a spy, it could be a complex role.” but she was also that whatever sejeong did, jinah was sure she’d be able to ace it. “but a villain, a villain is good as well. more dramatic, doesn’t have a real moral code.” then she shrugged, “once i land a role, i’ll make sure you train me well.” 

“I’m not a player~  I just like to give my love to everyone~” it’s a loophole maybe, but since they’re just playing around, it wasn’t that serious.  “You can’t forget about someone who’s always on your mind~” she punctuates her cheesy line with a wink.  “I’m sure you will be on covers before you know it.  Maybe I should be the one to say don’t forget about me when you get big in the model game!”

@rkdoyeon

“Doyeonnieee~” Sejeong coos at her fellow K.ARMA member, though to her own ears it sounded more like whine.  Sejeong hadn’t been home to really spend time with the other girls lately, she was shooting her drama almost every day and even then when she got out of filming, she typically had to get changed and head over to the studio to practice for their upcoming comeback.

@rkjxy

Pulling double duty like this was rather tiring, more so than Sejeong had thought it would be when she signed up for the role.  She really hadn’t counted on them preparing another comeback so quickly so to be told that she’d need to work on that while shooting her drama had come as a surprise, but she knew she’d have to make the best of her time, often foregoing sleep so she could practice.

“sejeong, a girl after my heart.” and she wiggled her head at the compliment. “don’t ever lose that charm. okay?” sejeong was a very charming girl, if jinah was a little weaker, she’d blush.”same. almost always happy. that outfit we had for the summer event a while ago..” jinah dropped her head, she wasn’t happy with the outfit at all. “doyeon had to talk me down from wanting to change.” she wouldn’t have made it out onto stage. 

“a little more serious?” jinah tapped her chin. “something like a bad-ass spy. you can be funny and serious with that.” but whatever it was, jinah couldn’t wait to see what was sejeong’s future. “if i act, i think i want to stay away from overly emotional roles at first.” she wasn’t good at crying. “but then i worry about living up to my moms name if i do get a role.” 

“I can’t lose my charm, I have to have it to stay all of the member’s girlfriend, don’t I?” she laughed, referencing her title.  “Pfft.  Please, they could put you in a grain bag and you’d still be the most gorgeous girl in the room,” she said, fully meaning it.  Jinah was model material, she could have easily done that as a career if she hadn’t become an idol.

sejeong is often so busy being the career woman that she is, so much that joy rarely sees her outside of practice. the younger knows she must be exhausted; juggling her schedule as an actress as well as a member of their group. she won’t deny that she misses her a lot when she’s not around. how can’t she, when sejeong became such a source of happiness? in the time that they’ve known each other, she has always felt so at home with her. it is no wonder that she’s so well loved not just by their fans, but as well as the people who work with her.

for her birthday, the heavy weighted blanket was the present that came to mind. joy wanted to give her something that might do something to alleviate her exhaustion and make her fall into peaceful sleep every night. there are so few things they can do to ensure their comfort despite working so hard day in and out, joy hopes that sleeping with a blanket like this can do wonders for sejeong as it does for her. when they all congregated to greet the birthday girl later that night, she wraps her arms around her with, squeezing her in the tightest hug. when she lets go, she tells her. “i have a gift for you but it’s already in your bed. happy birthday again, unnie. i hope you have the best night’s sleep!” as they retire to their respective bedrooms, her happiness follows her even in sleep.

The evening had turned out better than Sejeong could have predicted with the girls doing all these special things for her birthday, she felt so much love from them that she was extremely touched.  She had gone from thinking that the night would probably be a washout with everyone having to go to bed before she even got home, but from the second she opened the door and Doyeon surprised her, to the impromptu cake in the kitchen with the other girls, she was so full of happiness she felt like she could burst.

Hugging Joy back, she smiled, giving her a squeeze back.  “Thank you Joy~” she cooed, obviously always thankful for the younger girl.  She was always bringing a smile to Sejeong’s face whenever they spent time together and now was no exception to it.  Hearing that Joy had left her a gift in her bed, she thanked her again, but Sejeong being Sejeong, couldn’t just leave it with a simple thank you, replying “Ah, but you’re right here, you aren’t in my bed!” with her usual flirty style that she puts out towards her members that earned her the K.arma’s Girlfriend title.  “I’m sure I’ll love whatever it is and I’ll give you a full report tomorrow once you’ve gotten your sleep~ Go, rest, rest~” she said with a huge smile on her face and a full heart. 

Once she got to her room, she had found Vanessa’s present on the bed, and went out to the living room to open that one and send her a picture wearing it before sneaking back into her room and she wondered what Joy meant exactly by that it was in her bed?  She went to lift the covers up to see if it was literally in her bed, but when she did so, she noticed a change in the heftyness in the blankets from normal.  Using her phone to illuminate it, not wanting to turn on the light in the room and wake up the other girls, she was able to find the difference, a lovely weighted blanket.  She had always heard of those, but had yet to try one out. Being someone who loved going to sleep being held, she couldn’t wait to try it.  Getting into her bed as quietly as she could, she pulled the covers over her and settled in, a comforted smile coming onto her face as she did, passing out almost immediately after, the gift doing the trick.

vanessa’s gotten a bit more used to not having sejeong around as much– but it doesn’t change the fact she still doesn’t like it. she doesn’t complain about it as much, choosing to spend as much time with sejeong as she can when the girl is free from filming at times. the one and only positive thing about sejeong not being at the dorms as much, is that vanessa has time to plan for a birthday gift.

she decides on a custom made baseball styled jersey– with sejeong’s name stitched on the back, as well as the year of her birthday. it’s pink with red and white accents; it’s something she had seen shopping online earlier in the month and been quick to request a custom made one for sejeong. it had come in early in the week, thank god. she packages it in a cute yellow gift bag, leaving it on sejeong’s bed while she’s out filming. she leaves it with a note, smiling to herself as she readies herself to sleep.

the note reads:

’ to our collective girlfriend sejeonggie~~ happy birthday!! i hope you like this! i saw it and immediately thought of you. our home run~ i love you! i owe you a birthday smooch! ps: there’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry! happy birthday! ’ noted with vanessa’s signature scribble and a messily drawn smiley face with a chu~ written cutely on it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sejeong hasn’t exactly warmed up to the fact that she hasn’t been able to see the other girls as much lately due to filming, but she keeps on taking time to remind herself that she’s proud of what she’s doing, that eventually when the show starts airing, it’ll be worth it because they’ll get to see her acting on the screen, so it’ll be a little like she’s there, even if she isn’t.

After being surprised by Doyeon at the door and an impromptu piece of cake procured by the same member, Sejeong quietly crept into her shared room, trying not to wake up Hyuna and Jinah.  Using the light of her phone so she doesn’t wake the other girls up by turning on the room light, she changes into her sleepwear, only then noticing the yellow gift bag on her bed.  Sneaking the bag and herself back out to the living room, she turns on one of the small lamps to take a look at the gift, curious as to what it was and who it was from.

surprisingly, she has a lot of time to set up everything and even texts the girl in the middle of the day, not wanting it to seem like she forgot it just for the sake of the surprise. on the couch, she turns her head when she hears someone unlocking the door and dashes across the living room with her gift in hands. “happy birthday unnie!” she pops out and screams before the other can walk in properly. “i have something for you!” doyeon announces happily, holding out a box she prepared for her. “you like painting, right? so i hope you like it and teach me when you have time,” she says with a bright smile. “ah! i also got cake. is too late for it?” 

August 28th, 2020

This was maybe one of the oddest birthdays that Sejeong could remember in recent years.  It was weird not being able to see her mom or brother and just get their well wishes over the phone, due to her busy filming schedule.  She got texts from Doyeon and some of the other members, an e-mail from Wendy, and then the crew of the drama brought her some seaweed soup to celebrate her birthday.

glow,

she’s still prodding at her face when sejeong steps in, and the smile she gives the girl is sleepy, blinking rapidly to dispel the haze of slumber that’s still wanting to lull her back to sleep. she gives a little sniffle, blinking as she shakes her head. “i wanted to make sure you’d get home.” she mumbles, breaking off into a yawn that she’s quick to cover with the back of her hand. she shifts in the chair, humming as she watches sejeong move to sit near her, humming happily at the girl’s presence.

she doesn’t mind the lack of sleep if it means she sees that sejeong is home safely after filming; there’s a sort of weight that lifts– as if seeing sejeong has dispelled all the worries of today.

“i missed you more.” she mumbles, her body angling towards sejeong to give her the majority of her attention. “this sucks. this schedule can’t be good.” not to say theirs is much different, but sejeong has k.arma on top of a hectic filming schedule. where does she find time to sleep, where does she have time to eat? so many thoughts move through her head, and the worry comes back, slow and careful. she pushes it aside to hum, reaching out to idly fix sejeong’s hair before retracting her hand. 

a sigh leaves her, and she moves to set her head on the other’s shoulder, a light huff leaving her. “not fair.” she mumbles. “when does filming end again? too long…” she lets out a whine, knowing that this will be like this for weeks, months even.

Hearing her say that she was waiting up for her while she rubs sleep from her eyes makes Sejeong’s heart warm, as Vanessa often had an apt to do.  “You’re too sweet, unnie.  What am I going to do with you, hmm?” she asks, returning the smile, regaining some energy just from the other’s efforts on checking up on her.  “I’m here now~  You don’t have to give up your sleep for me, though~ I now how much we get, you know?”

She actually really appreciated Vanessa thinking about her like this, it made her even more fond of the older member, if that was even possible.  She was so glad for their connection, she couldn’t help but want to return it to her.

“It’s... not that great, I agree.  But, I’m loving it.  I love acting.  If this is what I have to do, then I’ll do it.  As long as I’m not hurting any of you in the process, you know? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I let the group down... especially you.”  The fixing of her hair has Sejeong briefly leaning into the touch, giving her a look of thanks that she’s not quite sure translates in the darkness of the room.

❝ just our date

“yeah? lets go on many more dates then!“ she says with a wide smile. it was quite funny, really. hyuna didn’t think the other girls would ever accept her so easily. it makes her feel in ways she hadn’t yet experienced, and it made her the happiest she has ever been. the k.arma girls made her feel more special than she thought it was possible. 

“hearing you say that really makes my heart melt.“ hyuna jokes, smile never leaving her features. a light laugh leaves her as she nods at sejeong “i’m glad we didn’t miss each other. i really am. and the rest of the girls.“ she explains. a small hum leaves her as she thinks, what was one thing she was really looking forward to. “i guess being in a permanent circle of people? all the previous survival shows, companies, i always moved around. and to finally be set with you lovely people, it’s really been a blessing.“ it might have sounded cheesy, but it was what hyuna really thought about. “what about you? what did you look forward when you debuted?“

“I’m always up for dates! I’m K.arma’s girlfriend, after all, aren’t I?” she says, grinning about her self-appointed title in the group.  She was glad that Hyuna felt comfortable enough with her that she felt that she could agree to more dates in the future already.  Sure, they were roommates, but she had worried the other woman might not adjust to her personality so quickly.