"Okay, guys, she's in," I announce to my bandmates as we jump into the van.

"Of course she is, hyung. She gets to hang out with you," Jimin replies. Manager-nim starts the engine and we begin our drive to the shooting location.

"Yeah, what were you guys up to last night?" Namjoon questions. He raises an eyebrow suggestively and I roll my eyes in return.

"She was tired when she got back. A little drama with a friend. So we talked a little bit and watched a movie— we ended up falling asleep."

"Cute," Jungkook says under his breath. I decide not to call him out for it despite his words bringing a pinkish hue to my cheeks. He tried to keep it to himself, at least.

"It'll be nice to chat with Rin again; I'm excited to see her," Seokjin says.

"I'm glad. She really took a liking to you, hyung. I mean, she likes most of you," I shoot daggers at Jimin as I speak. "So, I don't see why she won't be just as excited to see everyone."

"Noona does not not like me," Jimin says. "I just don't think she's used to me yet."

"I've been living with you for three years and even I'm not used to you, Park Jimin," Hoseok says. Laughter ensues from everyone except Jimin, Manager-nim included.

"So, why does Sangmi want Rin specifically for this shoot?" Namjoon asks our manager.

"I don't know. She just told me that Rin-ssi was on the list when she was choosing the roster. I guess she just thinks these clothes will suit her well," he replies. "That, and if Sangmi really wants Rin to work for her, she'll have to reach out to get her to enjoy modeling, and doing more shoots with you around will probably make her more comfortable."

"That makes sense, I guess," Taehyung says. "Even if we aren't going to be in the same pictures, Rin will still hang out with us off the set."

"Right, exactly," I affirm.

The remainder of the drive to the shooting location is relatively lax; there's no traffic, Manager-nim doesn't yell at us for being a disruption, and we arrive on time. We're whisked off to hair and makeup trailers shortly after. Thankfully, no one's dyeing my hair today, but we all spend a decent amount of time inside getting primped and preened.

The shooting location is outdoors, in the flats outside of the city by some rusted metal equipment and cinderblock and brick walls. The flats usually don't get much action, but today they're full with studio lights, makeup trailers, and busy stylists bustling about so they can get home sooner rather than later. The sky is cloudy, providing a gray backdrop to an already dull set. With luck, this pleases Sangmi rather than disappointing her. An unhappy Sangmi is not pleasant to work with.

When my hair stylist finally sets me free, I give her a quick bow of thanks and then walk from the makeup trailer over to the wardrobe trailer. I'm handed my first outfit, consisting of a black hoodie with black and white Disney characters all over it, blue jeans, and Adidas sneakers. I'm cautious putting the hoodie on to avoid messing up my freshly-styled hair, which has been poofed significantly and looks quite nice despite the gray having faded to a sandy blonde color. I'm about to leave wardrobe when Taehyung enters.

"Rin just got here, hyung. She's looking for you."

"Okay, Tae. Thank you," I reply, and make my way out of the trailer.

As I open up the door, I'm shocked to hear a familiar yelp from the other side followed by a quiet thud.

"Shit! You okay, Rin?" I ask, stepping outside the trailer to encounter my friend whom I just hit with the door. I put a hand on her shoulder, finding her bent over and touching her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You just shocked me more than anything," she laughs and looks up at me. "You look nice."

"Thanks, so do you."

"I haven't had anything done to me yet."

"Point being?" I smirk and watch the tiniest hint of a blush form on Rin's face. "Here, we should get out of the way of the door." I lead Rin down the set of stairs and stand off to the side, out of the way enough to not be a distraction to anyone.

"So, what had you worked up when you called?" I ask her, giving her a concerned look.

"I was planning on spending the day at home, right?" She begins. "So when I woke up I had a couple texts from Juyoung asking if we wanted to hang out. I was going to deny, but I ended up getting sidetracked and I totally forgot to respond. So, an hour or so passes and all of a sudden Juyoung's at the door, and he just waltzes in like he owns the place. I normally wouldn't have minded— he's kind of a clingy dude and it's not super out of the ordinary for him to randomly drop by, but he was acting really different and it made me really uncomfortable."

"Acting different how, exactly?"

"Well, we've hung out a few times since you guys have started promotions, and today seals the deal. He's definitely flirting, and he's flirting hard. He was crawling up on my shoulder while we were watching a movie even though I was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, and he kissed my cheek before he left, and I just didn't know what to do; I'd have felt awful telling him to leave, but I couldn't find the words to tell him that I didn't want him to be acting that way. So, I just sat there and tried to drop hints that I wasn't interested, but nothing worked. I was on the verge of having a panic attack when you called, which is why I'm so glad I got to get out of there. I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to get my point across to him without hurting him too much, but if he shows up out of the blue I have no idea what I could possibly say."

"I'm really sorry, Rin. I wish I could've stayed or been there for you somehow. It sounds like he just can't take a hint."

"He's pretty thick-skulled, I'll be the first to admit that."

"Maybe try and keep your distance from him for a little bit? People usually get that you aren't in the mood if you ignore them for a little while."

"That could work if he didn't just come over sometimes. Y'know, I expected you to be way more angry."

"Well, I am angry with him. You definitely don't just barge into someone's home like that and then violate their boundaries when they're clearly not interested. I'm just more concerned with what I can do to help you."

"Thanks, Yoongi, it means a ton. You've been really helpful these past couple—"

"Hyung, Sangmi needs you," Jungkook says, appearing out of the blue and placing a hand on my shoulder. He gestures to the right and sure enough, Sangmi is standing near one of the brick walls under a studio light twice her size, where she's yelling about needing a boy.

"Right. Yeah, I'll head over there. I'll try to think of something, okay Rin?"

"Yeah, okay. Have fun!"

"I'll try," I laugh, and start over in Sangmi's direction. As I walk off, I hear Jungkook begin to strike up a conversation with Rin, which I'm actually rather surprised by. I make my way over to Sangmi, who sighs in relief when she sees me.

"Thank God, I thought I was going to have to go over and get you," Sangmi says, moving some of my hair out of my face.

"Sorry. Did I really not notice?" I reply.

"It's alright. I know you needed to catch up with Rin. Thank you for convincing her to come, by the way."

"Yeah, of course."

"Now, could you get on convincing her to sign to the label? She really is one of the most stunning girls I have ever seen."

"That might take some more work, noona. I'll try my best."

"That you will, or else I won't give you insoles for the next month."

I gasp in mock-exasperation. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Put nothing past me, Yoongi-yah. Now, get on the set or the insoles I don't give you will go to Jimin."

I keep my mouth shut as I head up to model.

Photoshoots can be a lot of fun if you make them. I start off doing an individual shoot, which means a lot of doing the same three poses over and over and making myself laugh. Individual shoots are the least fun part of photo shoots. When I'm done with my individual shoot, Taehyung and Seokjin join me. Thankfully, we can have a lot of fun with this shoot because Sangmi is directing us to have a playful attitude. So, as I joke around with my friends, I'm sure I look genuine in the photographs. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely focused on having a good time because I'm trying to come up with some way Rin can confront Juyoung. I keep looking over at the other end of the flats where the girls are modeling. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of Rin when she's off the set, but I don't see too much of her. Until we both get downtime simultaneously, I will continue to not see much of her. Sangmi's just saving time by having her models shoot at the same time as us— boys and girls will not be posing together. After screwing around with Tae and Jin for awhile, we're switched out for the other four boys. Taehyung and I rush back to the makeup trailer for more touch-ups, then head back to the site.

"Is Rin alright?" Seokjin asks as we return.

"I think so," I reply. "She's certainly okay right now."

"That's good, I was worried by the way you were talking to her on the phone."

"Yeah, she had a little issue with one of her friends. I'm trying to help her find a way to clear it up."

"Oh, is that what she was telling Jungkook about? I was going to talk to her when—"

"You three! Up here, have fun. I'm going to go take care of the girls. Don't do anything excessively stupid and you'll get to go home sooner," Sangmi commands.

"We have another schedule after this, noona," Hoseok comments. "When we promote, we have no home."

Sangmi just rolls her eyes and leaves us under the supervision of her second-in-command. I want to ask Jin about what Jungkook said to Rin, but I don't get the chance. There's no time for serious-talk when you've got to prove to the whole world that you're a lighthearted, happy-go-lucky goofball. So, I put the thought in the back of my mind as I continue joking around with my friends. This photo shoot is modeling a new Disney line, so all of us are wearing hoodies or sweatshirts with famous Disney characters on them, and this leads to some amusing confusion when Sangmi's assistant starts referring to us by who's on our clothing. We all sit on a curb before a cracked brick wall and just have fun, ignoring the studio lights and the constant sound of camera shutters. That's why photo shoots can be a lot of fun— sometimes you forget you're even doing them.

We all screw around for three or so hours in total before we're rushed back to the wardrobe trailer. We're going to be cutting it close to make it to the MBC Showcase on time, so we change into our performance attire and get our makeup done while we're there. Hopefully, that'll cut down on prep time when we arrive. As we all file out of the trailer, constantly pausing to bow and thank staffs for their hard work, I hear a familiar voice call out to me.

"See you later, Yoongi! Thanks, guys!"

"Bye, Rin!" I announce, waving despite not knowing where her voice is coming from.

"See you soon, noona!" Jungkook calls. We jump back in the van moments later.

"Hey, Kook, you've gotta back off Rin, okay? Yoongi'll rip out your throat while you sleep," Jimin says.

"The only person I'd ever even consider doing that to is you, Jimin," I say, but I can't help but be a little confused as to what "see you soon" means.

"Better me than Jungkook, I guess," Jimin says.

"Anyway, you all ready for the showcase?" Namjoon asks, deciding to assert himself as leader.

"Yeah, I don't see why we wouldn't be," Seokjin replies.

"Good, because promotions wrap up soon and I want at least one more win under my belt before we close things out."

"That's the mindset I'm looking for, Namjoon," Manager-nim muses. "Now, hang on tight, because we're going to be late."

And then he floors it.

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hey!

guess who wasn't awful and got out another update? (hint: it's me)

i actually had a snow day today so i had some time to work, but i still barely got this out before midnight lmao.

anyway, please leave any kind of feedback if you feel this story is deserving of it: votes, comments, the whole nine yards. especially constructive criticism, it makes me better at what i do.

so, thanks, and drawga is a very important youtube series,

sam

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