#mengyaowu

[sungpeach]

his chest squeezed as sung realized his seat was next to jeanie for this show. though his step faltered, he wrapped himself up in imaginary bandages and sat down next to her. their arms brushed in the midst of sitting down, causing an, "apologies," and sung to fold his hands in his lap to take up a bit less space.

meeting with jeanie often drained him, which wasn't preferred when he was already draining from the fashion week. so many people to speak to, so many shows to sit at, so many pieces of clothing he didn't much care for to look at. he had connections to maintain and didn't want to represent the staff, his company, or himself poorly, so he'd made it through until then. this here was another battle of maintenance.

"have you been enjoying yourself? i heard this designer has quite a spectacular collection to present."

@mengyaowu

[parkduris]

runway show, dongdaemun design plaza. with @mengyaowu.

the one thing that's not fun about being a soloist, was the fact that duri always went everywhere on his own - unless he's with his manager, of course. but, something like seoul fashion week shows, he had seemingly been on his own because he didn't fully need a team around him. so, in some cases, duri looks like a lost puppy, simply trying to find his way around a place that he isn't quite used to. he's never actually been to a fashion week before, besides attending certain brand events throughout the year. so, he really was just lost on the entire thing.

all he knew was that he has a front-row ticket to this show, which made him feel a little bit lost. he's sure there's a number upon the ticket, so he's sure to take it out to look. it was probably a bit embarrassing to see how lost duri happens to look in this atmosphere, and he's almost sure everyone can see him looking as such. though, somehow, duri isn't embarrassed about it, because after all, this was like his first rodeo, anyways. but, he kind of figures it out, he thinks.

he's moving along the front line, looking for an empty seat. when he finally finds the one, eyes looking around, before seeing a familiar face next to him. "oh, hello jeanie-sunbae!" duri says, bowing towards the other. "i think... this is my seat? i don't know, i'm not entirely sure how this works," he states, before a giggle leaves his lips afterwards. "do you mind if i sit here?" he asked, after all, duri always likes to be sure he's not taking a show.

[hyoisms]

hyojung doesn't think she left everlast with much sour feelings. or at least that's what she thinks when it comes to the artists. the management was a different story, of course, and she usually wasn't one to complain or whine about her old company as they are the ones who allowed her to debut, but sometimes even she couldn't stop her inner thoughts from escaping her mouth.

that's how her friendship with jean started, but she's soon to appreciate the other's company in ways other than simply badmouthing everlast. "i actually quite enjoyed that show," she whispers because the showroom is awfully quiet now that the show has come to an end. "the thing with fashion is that, most of the times, i don't get it. they look like clothes that can't be worn, but i feel like i could actually wear this collection."

it's the first time she's shown much interest in any of the shows because this one looked normal to her. although she's learned that normal isn't always the best in the fashion world, it's what she liked. "how about you? what did you think of the collection?"

@mengyaowu / after the 02 ARMOIRE show

[sungpeach]

sung wasn't sure where she would have heard as much, considering how very little he ever blew up, but honestly, it wasn't worth engaging. for all sung knew, it could have been a lie she was coming up with on the spot.

he'd have been fine to leave the conversation as it was and ignore one another until the show ended. that was, until she prodded.

joosung-ah? he wished he had more control over his face to stop his brows from knitting in and his lightly dropped jaw turning to jeanie. as he functioned, though, his emotions wrote themselves ten times over his face. this wasn't the accidental slip up of a foreigner that he could be understanding of, not with that pointed tone. "what attention i am afforded is at least somewhat because i care enough to be polite to others. if you would disrespect me like this, i'd rather not speak to you at all."

"well, i'm glad you aren't as highly strung as i've heard." it sort of just falls out, as if he truly did have a bad reputation. like it was fact, not just a personal grudge. she has a habit of making opinion sound like fact when she really doesn't care about what she's saying.

jean knows well what it means to hear rumours about herself, and having no way to control them or figure out their source. it's a painful existence, idoldom: it's the way life goes for anyone who chooses the spotlight over the comfort of obscurity. this is necessary. a reminder of his place in their delicate ecosystem is practically doing him a favour.

"it must feel nice to have so much positive attention. you've done well for yourself, joosung-ah."

[parkduris]

his smile grows a bit more, feeling more at ease now. "thank you!" duri states. he sits down in the seat, being sure to settle himself in a bit more. he sits up straight, fixing the outfit that he was wearing, just to make sure it wasn't wrinkled or anything of that nature.

even though he felt like he was out of place, it was something that was still rather exciting. he was excited to see the show, to see how it works, the outfits that would be on the runway, and everything in between. plus, it did feel better that he has a familiar face next to him, one that was probably much more experienced.

"ah, that's really good to know! i was going to talk to the staff, but they seem really busy, and i didn't want to bother them," he says. "at the next one, i'll be sure to befriend them, just so they don't have to man the door anymore!" he says, his smile growing a bit more, a firm nod.

"i've been in the industry for five years now, almost six! but, i've never actually been to a fashion week or really a fashion show before, so it's all new to me," he says. "i'm more much used to award shows and brand events," he added on, a chuckle leaving his lips. "but, i really look forward to actually seeing a runway show... it feels like a whole new world!"

jean has spent years watching fashion week come and go in all its various themes, formats, and events, exhausting time over silks and champagne flutes. there's little that surprises her these days. that's not to say she dislikes the rhythm of it, though. or the prestige. sitting front row aside a crowd of celebrities has the same sparkle it did when she debuted.

this year, her stare has glazed over the entrance at each and every show, until everyone is sat and she can finally breathe out (there is an unfortunate amount of people she'd rather avoid these days).

so, as soon as duri enters, jean clocks his ticket fumbling and sheepish searching. it almost makes her smile. the reminder of how very unprepared for all of this she was some 6 years ago, even standing beisde her teammates. how daunting it must be for him to do it alone.

"of course!" her head bows softly out of habit, "it never gets easier to figure out, unfortunately." she fluffs the pillow beside her in a moment of unprecedented carefulness. with a shuffle, she moves to the side for the taller boy to sit. god, kids these days grow like beanpoles.

"the best way to avoid embarrassment is befriending the staff. they'll usually escort you to your seat just to avoid manning the doors."

[sungpeach]

"of course not." not any more than he'd be afraid to be seen with any woman, and even then, he tended to have a bit more wiggle room than most idols. apologizing was only the fair thing to do. avoiding touching her past that point, well, jeanie was pulling away too.

many questions rose to mind at her further statement, but the answers sung could apply were all with a negative intention. despite their struggles, jeanie didn't deserve for sung to assume too quickly. "how do you mean?"

jeanie doesn't retain much hatred these days. despondence, absolutely. annoyance? always. but hatred is a fiery emotion and for someone teetering on the edges of social status, it's unwise to weaponise that.

she certainly doesn't mind bristling some feathers, though.

joosung is a sweetheart; there's no doubt his character precedes his success. he's as handsome as he is considerate, and as careful as he is respectful - unfortunately, those qualifiers don't really matter when your (sort of) brother is his mortal enemy.

jean and william are thick as thieves and her heart is just as much his as it is myworld's. so treating joosung accordingly is easy as pie.

"always so formal, it's like you're frightened to be seen with me!" she makes a pointed gesture to tuck her coat as far away from him as possible, smiling broadly all the while.

"it's been fun. i'm enjoying the fanfare - having all you new kids about is certainly entertaining. you must be having a real riot, huh?"