TRACK 06
COLLISION
JAE-UN
I'm lying on my bed, scrolling through social media mindlessly until I grow bored and toss my phone to the side.
I sigh at the ceiling, grateful to have the day off.
It feels like all we've done lately is work.
Not that I resent it in the least. I'm grateful to our fans and my members.
If I hadn't been blessed with this life, I'd probably be working with my parents on the farm that they inherited from my grandmother.
And not to say that it would be a life of disappointment, either.
It's just that I wanted more, so I reached out and grabbed it when the opportunity presented itself.
Here I am, twelve years later, exactly where I was forever meant to be and doing what I love with my favorite people.
It just gets hard sometimes and lonely. I've not spent much time outside of work with my members lately, and we've been too busy to go visit family.
So, days like today when we don't have anything going on, I work out or grab dinner with one of the others.
Lately, we've just turned into hermits, not even bothering to leave the house.
Releasing another sigh, I get up off my bed and go off in search of someone.
All the rooms I pass are empty, except for Kyung's, but he's sleeping.
Easing his door closed, I can't help but worry about him.
He's never home at night anymore and always seems lost in thought.
Honestly, I need to suggest to Seong that we need a team meeting.
Just to check and make sure everyone is okay in their heads and emotions.
Dav En has started to pull the same thing Kyung has.
Our team isn't falling apart, but lines are starting to thin and I don't like it.
We had no choice back in our debut era to be close to one another since we started from literally nothing and shared everything. We've come a long way since then, but sometimes those routes don't lead to better things.
Nostalgia drags my shoulders down as I find an empty house walking through it. Everyone is probably doing their own thing like always. Passing the kitchen and dining room, I make my way through the hall and into the living room, where I cheer up a bit, finding all but Kyung lounging around.
Seong and Yeon are leaned against each other, reading something on the former's iPad.
In Se, Minsul, and Yoon Ji are sitting on the floor at the table playing a card game.
I've just thought that the only one missing is Dav En as I lean over the back of the couch and spot him lying beneath me.
He's got a pillow wrapped up in his arms while his face is buried in the back pillow.
I snort. "Why's he crashed in here?"
In Se makes a similar sound as Minsul answers, "We found him like that this morning."
"Think he's drunk?" I ask, leaning down to see if he smells like alcohol.
I can't stop my eyes from widening as I get a good whiff of him, and it's not alcohol that I smell.
"What?" In Se asks, now fully invested turned around watching.
His curiosity draws Seong and Yeon's attention, too.
"Is he drunk?" Seong asks, trying his best to hide his disappointment.
I shake my head, but refuse to tell them what is going through my head. Instead, I decide to let him answer for himself. Just so that I don't get anything misconstrued.
Nudging his shoulder, I try to wake him. "Dav En. Wake up, man."
He groans and burrows into the couch further.
"Dav," I try again, slapping his butt.
It gets a grunt out of him but that's it. I look over to Seong and he nods. I slap Dav En harder before giving his shoulder a push to get his face out of the cushion. "Dav, wake up."
He groans and rolls over, throwing an arm over his eyes. "What?"
"Where were you last night?" I ask him. "Why are you passed out on the couch?"
Breathing deeply, he sounds like he's gone right back to sleep.
"Dav En," In Se tries, slapping his leg. "Where did you go last night?"
Groaning again, he finally mutters, "With my girlfriend. I didn't want to go to bed in my clothes, and I was too tired to change."
The way we all freeze and stare at the big man taking up a third of the u-shaped couch. Seong and Yeon's heads turn towards each other so fast that I almost miss it. The three playing cards on the floor are in various states of shock.
"Did he just say what I think he did?" Minsul asks incredulously.
I don't even know how to answer him, because I know they all heard just as well as I did.
I knew I smelled a woman's perfume. Glancing over to In Se, I find him already staring at me wide-eyed.
It's not like our company prohibited us from dating like most of the others do.
We got very lucky in that department. However, we've always known each other's business for it to be an unspoken rule that were any of us to find someone, they should tell the team.
At least, I always considered it an unspoken rule. Maybe it should've been spoken instead.
"Wake him up again," Seong demands, moving to the edge of his seat and resting his elbows on his knees. The look on his face says Dav En is about to get an earful.
I nudge Dav En several times until he complains loudly and sits up. "What?"
"I'm going to need you to repeat what you just said," Seong says, voice eerily calm and low.
Not going to lie, our leader is pretty scary when he wants to be. Most of the time, he looks like a fluffy pet you want to snuggle, but other times, like this one, he's quite terrifying. His temper gets the best of him sometimes.
Dav En, catching on to Seong's tone, turns his body to face him as I move out of the line of fire. His question is softer this time and more curious than aggressive. "What?"
"Tell us what you just said when In Se asked you where you were last night," Seong tells him with his voice still dangerously low.
I take a seat across from him on the table next to In Se on the floor. It's how I can see it when Dav En swallows hard, not taking his eyes off Seong Su.
Fully awake now, he repeats, "I was with my girlfriend."
Seong Su sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. Dav En panics throwing his palms up in a stopping motion. "She was Kyung's girlfriend first. I just asked her, and she said yes."
I can feel my eyebrows practically rise into my hairline. Oh, this has the potential to get so messy. Worse than any scandal we could've cooked up on our own. This is going to end so bad if they start fighting. "So, you're dating his ex-girlfriend?"
The man's expression drops into one of confusion. "No way. I wouldn't do that."
"I'm confused," Yeon says, Seong Su agreeing with him.
"She's our girlfriend." Dav En finally looks to the rest of us for support. "You'll like her. She's really nice."
"And pretty?" In Se asks, leaning against the couch to gaze up at him hopefully.
Dav En's cheeks turn pink as he nods. "Really pretty."
Seong Su sighs and Yeon reaches over to pat his leg comfortingly. Our leader balls his hands into fists before hiding them under his arms. "She's dating both of you?"
Dav En nods and Seong glances over to me. "Go get Kyung."
I'm making my way around the couch when In Se asks Dav En if he's got a picture of her.
The man grins like I've never seen before and pulls out his phone.
I sneak a peek over his shoulder before he shows it to the others.
My eyes lift quickly to Seong in surprise just as Dav En flips the phone around and In Se exclaims, "She's not Korean? "
Seong takes a deep breath that I can hear from where I stand as he reaches up to massage the bridge of his nose.
Yeon pats his leg again and leaves his hand there.
Probably to keep him from getting up to strangle Dav.
I have to admit to myself as I walk to drag Kyung into the fire, Dav wasn't lying.
She is very pretty. Beautiful even. Someone I'd have trouble myself approaching.
Being an idol doesn't mean that we are emotionless and don't have the same fears of rejection as the rest of the world.
The selfie of the two of them with her cheek pressed against his is sweet.
They look like a cute couple. Even Seong Su would have trouble denying that.
She's got an oval face with high cheekbones framed with dark brown hair.
But it's her eyes that will draw a person in.
The most vivid shade of green I've ever seen with blue mixed in.
I'm wondering just how weird it'd be to ask to see more pictures as I make it to Kyung's door.
Deciding to play nice since he's about to catch hell, I grab his foot sticking out of his blanket and give it a few gentle tugs. "Hey, Kyung."
"Mmm," he murmurs, rolling over, his head popping up to one eye stare at me.
I almost laugh at his hair sticking out in all directions, but I contain it. "We need you in the living room."
He throws the blanket back and scoots out of bed quickly. "Why? What's wrong?"
I'm already walking away, so that I don't have to answer him. I don't have to look behind me to see if he's following either, because his footsteps are heavy with exhaustion. There's no telling what time they got home last night, or maybe even this morning.
As soon as we step around the corner, the room goes quiet before Seong tells Kyung, "Come have a seat, please."
He makes it as far as the point of being able to see Dav En's face, and whatever he sees there makes his posture change dramatically. Where he was stiff and his expression worried, he relaxes as he huffs out a small sound.
"I'm sorry," Dav En whispers as Kyung sits down next to him.
"Don't be," Kyung tells him, patting his friend's leg and turning to Seong. "I'd planned on telling everyone anyway. There's just never been a good time. We've been busier than normal."
"Literally would've taken five minutes," Seong snaps.
"I'm sorry," Kyung replies, falling to his knees and bowing to our leader before turning to the rest of us and apologizing again.