hard as nails

“i don’t have a lot of time to teach you this choreography, so i need you to really pay attention, okay?” daewon said firmly, adjusting his hat and crossing his arms. “you film your music video tomorrow. we need to get this done today.” 

“i’m ready,” matika said firmly, adjusting the waistband of her sweatpants. “thank you for helping me choreograph my solo dance film. i’m so excited to finally do something cool on my own...”

“alright, we need to touch base,” byul admitted with a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face. “i need to be upfront and frank with you all. it’s not fair to you if i keep suppressing my thoughts– we need to chat.” @rvmatty​ @rvgigi​ @rvjess​ @shinwoorv​

“are you okay? did... did i do something wrong?” matika asked, immediately assuming the worst. “if i did something to upset you, i’m so so sorry-- i’ll do my best to right it all...”

“are you alright, sweetheart? you’ve been quiet today,” deokjun commented, looking over at her on the other side of her couch, arm behind his head as he lounged. “extra busy schedule today? or something else on your mind?” @rvmatty​

she was happy. she was really happy. her career was going well. her friendships were strong. her relationship with deokjun was a dream-- he was the best thing to happen to her since debuting in reign. but it was amazing how little it took to put a shadow over all of it, and seeing dayoon again out of nowhere had done it. she sighed, face falling. “i’ll be fine. i just ran into someone unpleasant in the greenroom, and it’s been weighing on me,” she admitted.

he hadn’t known reign was coming back too until he’d heard matty’s voice faintly from the green room. it had been months since they spoke last, and hearing her made his stomach tighten and tie up into knots. he loved jinhee, and she was his endgame if you asked him, but matty was still someone he loved. he missed her friendship. he missed her. but she was mad at him, for good reason, and the concept of running into her here made him want to die. 

it was another day at the job, until it wasn’t. it was apparent that seeing her had made him freeze up, and matty went stiff in return, lips pressing into a thin line as she pulled off her mic tape, not meeting his eyes. “that all you have to say?” she hissed back, unimpressed.

“you know, sometimes my job is a real fucking pain in the ass,” taehyung grumbled, scrubbing his face with his hands. “with all the new vocal trends these days, i’m forced to add so many filters and shit when i’m mixing, and it sounds disgusting more times than not. but it’s my job to comply so i can’t even do anything about it.”

“someday  you need to listen to them but then at the last second just.....mix up the files and give them the actually good one,” she giggled. “i don’t know if that’s even possible, but i wish it were. we’d all be better off for it.”

“this is going to sound a little strange, but please hear me out,” jinkyung began, a little smile playing on her lips. “one of my kids has a crush on you. just a little one, very innocent– the crush of a fan. but the producers want to explore it as an angle on the show. would you be alright with us using footage of you? or even coming to meet the child in question for a special episode?” she was careful not to say which of her kids it was– if the answer was no, she didn’t want to embarrass them. “of course nothing will happen beyond that, but we thought it would be cute for one of the kids to meet one of their favorite celebrities. and you’d get publicity from it too.” 

“oh! that’s really flattering...” matika said with a little blush, biting back a giggle. “i... sure! i’ll have to talk to my agency first, but i’d love to make an appearance.”

“i don’t know what dispatch fuckin expected,” seola snorted. “my last song before this release was about sex. like, explicitly. you really think that if i want to make that kind of music i can go on the music show circuit? not a fuckin chance.”

“they really delivered that like it was breaking news, and not like....a  reasonable outcome,” matty agreed with a little shrug. “i hate when they quote lives. things sound so much worse than they really are without context and tone.”

it’d been a month, maybe more, since the incident. you know– the incident where dayoon ruined one of his most important friendships with the girl he’d lowkey been in love with. no biggie. 

matty was mourning her lost friendship with dayoon. of course she was-- she saw him almost every day before it all happened. and it was soul crushing to be that close to a connection with someone and have it crash down on top of you. she’d been so close to happiness only for the door to slam in her face.