#wsjude

it wasn't a bad idea, not really. wishbone had been more than generous with having her on loan from yuseong, and she'd been allowed to make creative decisions from the beginning, which she was grateful for. it was also very refreshing to see a company that focused a bit less on idol appearance and dietary restriction and more on artistic talents. sunny didn’t want to do anything illegal, they just didn’t have permission. not quite, at least. 

“come on, what’s the worst that could happen?” jisun gave a dismissive one-shouldered shrug as she clutched the others’ wrist, looking both ways of the street to make sure it was safe for them to cross. “your manager isn’t going to like... freak out, right? did you even tell them i was stealing you?” either way, she shook her head, “doesn’t matter, we’ll find out. besides, look at you! you need meat on your bones.”

There came a time when the dam surrounding Seojin’s heart was bound to burst. He toed the precipice of melting down. The thin line faltering feet balanced on ran short of the other side ㅡ where sparks scalded the surface. This fire began in bursts; the sort near impossible to put out. And now he sat, leaned against the wall outside one of Wishbone practice rooms. His body throbbed from his toes to the heart pushing up his throat. He should have known better than to allow his soul to crack under the pressure. He should have done as well as the past month told him he was. ( The extra attention should have been a good thing. ) It was too much to bear on shoulders already weakened from the weight they carried for years.

The approaching sound if footsteps prompted him to hide his face, a halfhearted apology immediately following. “Sorry, I'm not using it.”

Then the familiar voice emerged, quelling the need to rebuild walls around him. He found no strength to stand, his limbs exhausted from overwork, trembling as they reached toward the steady pillar hovering over him. Seojin did not have it in him to muster grateful words, even if the other's presence alone brought him a glimmer of solace.

"Oh, what's up, baby." The name said in platonic jest rolled off his tongue without a hint of resistance. Anyone who knew the both of them would be familiar with their playful nature among one another. Seojin could not imagine treating his best friend any other way. "I was almost having a mental breakdown not being able to see you for so long."

It was easy being jovial around Jude, knowing he would understand his need to add humor into anything mildly perturbing. Too easy, perhaps, as the first thing that rolled off his lips in response was somewhat of a joke. His teeth were bared in a smile, but ( at the moment ) his eyes told somewhat of a different story. Acting, as one would refer to it. Something Jude, himself, knew well. His mask began to falter inside the growing silence between them. Seojin’s thoughts lingered in the back of his mind like the aftertaste of an onion. Surely, the context was everything in this case, whether either of them had the awareness or not.