sting

“i don’t know,” minji answered honestly. “if my parents want me to stay, i stay. i don’t like being an idol anymore, but i’m not about to get cut off financially. i like the lifestyle i can afford with my dad’s credit card.”

“i guess i get it but i just..... i don’t know. i thought delight meant something to you. like it does to me. i thought we had more of a connection than that.”

“maybe find a symbol that reminds you of that and get it tattooed?” jiae offered with a tiny giggle. “people have gotten tattoos of worse for less.”

“that.....is less of a good point, but i’ll think about it,” she laughed

“i like performing when i have something to show off. juicy wasn’t showing off anything,” minji said. “listen, kyungmi, i like you. we’re friends. but i’m not gonna do something i hate just because you’d be sad if i didn’t. if it weren’t for my parents, i wouldn’t be here.”

“i........are you going to let your contract expire, then?” she asked softly. “are you just biding time?”

“it’s no excuse– they should have found producers who knew what they were properly doing,” joori insisted with a tiny shake of her head. “you all deserve to be taken seriously.”

she frowned, looking down. “every hiccup along the way, i wonder if minji was right, and if we should have just disbanded.”

“…siren doesn’t? i feel like whoever your head wardrobe stylist is isn’t doing their job right…”

“um.... not for us. maybe for the younger groups. i feel like we’re kind of just a forgotten group, though,” she admitted.”

“yeah. i didn’t want to come here,” minji said with a shrug. “i liked what we were doing before. i got to look hot, i got attention, the music was fine, i had more independence, and the money was good. why would i want to trade that in for a suffocating boring normal idol gig?”

kyungmi frowned deeper, hugging herself. “i.. i don’t know. because you like being with and working with us? because you love your fans? because you like performing? i...i thought we were better friends than that...”

“i know. it took me some getting used to as well. but we joined this company to do better for ourselves, and that’s not going to happen if we keep falling into the same traps.”

“you’re right. i need to keep reminding myself of that,” kyungmi said with a firm nod. “i need to like... write it on my hand or something. i keep forgetting.”

“not to mention they’d have to reorder everything again…..yeah, ask first …” he laughed

“this is why i wish they’d do fittings... even just for festivals,” kyungmi sighed

“then borrow someone else’s cardigan. for fuck’s sake, kyungmi. you’re not wearing something that you’re squeezing out of.”

kyungmi glanced down, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “i’ll look... i just... don’t want to start anything or cause issues...”

“being comfortable is hardly something diva-worthy. you should be able to feel comfortable and like nothing will slip out while you’re performing. if you keep asking for alterations, that’s the stylists not doing their jobs properly, not you asking too much.”

“i guess. it’s just hard being at siren now,” kyungmi sighed. “i think i’m still not used to it. we never had the money or the...voice..... to do that before. and so it feels weird asking for things here.”

“clearly we didnt all agree,” minji sighed. “i’m only here because my parents wouldn’t let me leave. i loved old delight.”

not going to lie, that revelation kind of hurt to hear. “i...do you mean that? would you have actually left the group?”