#nocelestialz

the lights are already pink when they arrive. not just from the stage setup—though that’s part of it—but from the sun sinking behind the trees, casting everything in that familiar spring hue. soft, filtered. like something out of a drama. the kind with a happy ending.

heejin doesn’t believe in signs, not really. but something about the timing—this festival, this comeback, this little sliver of calm before the show—makes her feel like maybe things are shifting in the right direction.

it still doesn’t stop the nerves from crawling up her spine as they wait backstage. they’ve done this a hundred times, but this is the first spring festival since their comeback started gaining traction. HOT is charting, the fans are louder than usual, and there’s actual momentum behind them for once.

it’s exciting. it’s also a little terrifying.

she gives jiho a gentle nudge with her elbow, subtle but grounding. “you good?” she asks, voice low and even. just enough to cut through the bustle of stylists, staff, and equipment buzzing around them.

“i think i got told to smile four times already,” she adds, lips quirking into something dry. “like we’re not in our hot era now.” a beat. “literally.”

there’s a slight pause, filled by the sounds of someone testing a mic and a crew member yelling about cable tape, before she glances over again.

“we’ve got this. just do the set like we rehearsed, and afterward—” she leans in a little, conspiratorial now, “—i’ll buy you cherry blossom cotton candy. maybe two. if you share.”

she doesn’t wait for a real answer. just lets the offer hang there like a promise. soft and steady. the same way she always does when it counts.

by this point, the concept of luxury and glamour is an essential feature in each one of girl code's comebacks. it's a continuity raebin makes sure to incorporate into every style, but sometimes there's a few things amiss. his position as head stylist doesn't mean that all his ideas and vision receives the golden stamp of approval from those who hold higher authority. case in point, the ridiculous caps that he sees the girls having to wear, not to mention the jarring color scheme they choose for these caps that seem out of sync compared to the rest of the outfit.

it's not his intention to vent to jiho, but sometimes his mouth runs off on its own when he's frustrated. raebin cracks open his sketchbook and lets the girl look through his earlier designs, letting out a disapproving sigh. "the headpieces i had in mind were a bit more complicated, sure. it's more in-line with whiplash than it would be for hot, but switching it up with stupid caps? it makes sense for practice videos, but not in the music video itself." raebin scoffs, but he digresses, despite having more to say. "there's an overreliance on coats for one of your music show outfits too, but that's a lot more forgivable."

on frequent or, many occasions does yesung struggle with a proper sleep schedule, tossing and turning … counting cats ﹠ dogs on the ceiling just to end up losing count and having to start all over again, staring at the screen of his phone that stares back at him──dry ﹠ void of notifications, watching the minutes tick by as a futile way to get bored enough to fall asleep. it hits him at the worst times, often leading to the decision of grabbing his keys and shutting the door behind him to the outside world.

a short, effortless drag of feet to the nearest convenience store, greeted by the smile of an employee almost as soon as the doors slide open ﹠ the bell is rung. yesung is a recognizable presence to the cashier by now, in spite of the cap ﹠ face-mask that obscures most of his visage. huh, is it the way he dresses? the dark-toned hoodie thrown over figure, baggy sweatpants ﹠ slippers as the first pick of footwear from the rack. … maybe. yesung gets the usual: grape soda cans, ice-cream of various types, and whatever chip packaging that appeals to him ﹠ gives off the assumption they’ll taste good. then he leaves with a come again! trailing after him.