just a moment -- with @fallenegos
the air tastes sweeter after a stage. or maybe thatâs just the hotteok. heejin shifts the paper sleeve in her hands, carefully blowing on the steaming center before taking a bite. it burns her tongue a little, but she doesnât complainâjust hums through it like itâs worth the pain. which, honestly, it is.
her legs are still a little shaky. her heartâs still running on leftover adrenaline. but theyâre done. the stage is behind them, the cheers were loud enough to swallow nerves whole, and now thereâs just thisâsoft cherry blossom air, a paper-wrapped snack, and jieun walking next to her under the fairy lights.
she bumps her elbow gently against hersâmore nudge than collision.
âsee?â she murmurs, still a little hoarse from performing. âwe survived. and i only looked like i was gonna pass out once.â
she doesnât need a reply. theyâve never been a talk-every-second type of duo. jieun fills in the blanks when she wants to, and heejinâs never minded the quiet.
she takes another bite, waits a beat, then says, more offhand than she means it: âyou were good, by the way.â
but then she glances over again, adds it more deliberatelyâso it lands this time. âreally good. i hope youâre letting yourself be proud of that. if not, iâm making you write it in your journal later. no skipping.â
she flashes a grin to soften the edge of it, but itâs clear she means every word.
a cherry blossom petal lands in her hotteok, and she flicks it off with a little puff of air. âokay. now what next?â she asks, gesturing to the street of stalls ahead. âfishcake? something disgustingly pink? or are we pretending to be responsible idols and just heading back?â














