it's been too long
★ look who's trying to write again lol it's been more than a year since I posted anything been busy with acads, org work and life and since it's summer, I tried writing again idk what these are ok
only you
l/krystal
Soojung twirls the pencil in her hand before scribbling a few lines in a piece of crumpled paper. She reads it again and frowns, forcefully crashing out what she just wrote. She huffs before walking over to the piano at the other side of the room. Soojung hums something and starts playing only to stop and bat at the keys in front of her in frustration. She takes a deep breath and picks up the guitar next to her dresser, plucking at the strings desperately. When nothing new came up, she sighs and puts the instrument down. She’s supposed to have a new song ready in two days and so far, the only useful thing she wrote for the past week was her grocery list. She tried listening to other songs, reading over her old compositions, walking around to look for something to write about, asking her friends about what they’d like to hear in a new song but still, nothing. She can feel her head starting to throb because of all the thinking she’s done. Soojung sighs dejectedly and plops down her bed.
Soojung wakes up to her phone ringing and she groans, reaching for her phone. It stops ringing and she squints at the screen. It was a call from her sister, she decides to call her back her later. Soojung groggily walks towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and she gulps it down while reading her messages.
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:33 PM]
soojung!! what are you doing tonight? wanna watch that new movie? or go shopping?
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:40 PM]
soojung
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:42 PM]
soojung-ah
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:44 PM]
hey, jung soojung
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:47 PM]
don’t ignore me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 4:52 PM]
are you working??
Choi Jinri [04/15/15, 5:05 PM]
huh i guess you are ok i'll ask taemin then
Soojung scoffs. “Of course I’m working. Idiot. She shouldn’t be using me as an excuse to hang out with Taemin, really.”
Kim Jonghyun [04/15/15, 5:01 PM]
I need that song on Saturday. No excuses.
She sighs and sets the glass she was holding above the counter. Her senior can be really bossy at times.
Sis♡ [04/15/15, 5:16 PM]
Are you still alive? How come you’re not answering my calls? Mom wants to know how you’re doing. Call me back when you can.
Kim Myungsoo [04/15/15, 5:34 PM]
check your doorstep
Soojung raises an eyebrow at the message but makes her way towards the front door anyway. She opens the door and there’s a pink paper bag at her feet. She picks it up and curiously peers inside. Plucking the note folded on top of something, she reads.
Stop working for a minute. You’re not getting anything done anyway. Dinner at 7. You know where. I’ll be waiting.
- M
PS: Bought you a dress. Thought it would look good on you. Wear it. I figured you didn’t do your laundry yet.
Soojung thinks about the overflowing hamper behind her bedroom door and laughs.
“You know me too well, Kim Myungsoo.”
“Please tell me you’re on your way.”
Soojung runs towards the cab that she just flagged down. She glances at her phone’s screen before tucking it back between her right ear and shoulder. 8:03 PM. She closes the door, rattling her destination to the driver.
“I am,” Soojung answers.
She can almost imagining seeing Myungsoo raising his eyebrows in suspicion so she adds, “I swear I am.”
Myungsoo sighs. “Okay. I’m waiting, Jung Soojung.”
“I know.” Soojung says with a small smile before hanging up.
When Soojung opens the door to the rooftop - 8:20 PM - Myungsoo’s sprawled on the floor, munching on a chicken leg.
“Don’t you have a schedule to go to?”
“Nope.”
Soojung plops down next to Myungsoo. “And what’s with dressing up when we’re only eating pizza and chicken?”
“What do mean dressing up, you’re wearing sneakers with your dress,” He says incredulously.
Soojung looks at him in the eye and they both laugh.
Myungsoo opens one of the pizza boxes and sets it in front of her. “How’s the songwriting going?”
She takes a big bite of the pizza slice she was holding and says silent. Myungsoo doesn’t say anything in return, pouring her a cup of soda instead. They continue to eat in silence for a while, sharing a blanket that Myungsoo brought over their shoulders.
“Hey, Jung Soojung. What is it? Tell me,” Myungsoo asks when she rests her head over his left shoulder.
Soojung just leans in closer to him.
“Are you frustrated because you still can’t write a song and the deadline is in two days? Are you sad because you can’t walk around and have dates with your boyfriend even though it’s spring? Or did you really just miss me?”
Soojung scoffs and pushes him away. “Shut up. You say the most ridiculous things, you know that?”
Myungsoo laughs, moves closer to her and takes her hand.
“You still love me anyway.”
Soojung sputters at that but doesn’t pull away.
eyes on the road
luhan/nana
Jinah sighs loudly. Her father’s bodyguard spares her a glance but looks away when she looks at him in the eye. She inspects her nails one by one. Her nail polish is starting to wear off, she notices.
“Time for another manicure, I guess,” she mumbles to herself.
She pulls at her bleached hair a few times. It’s starting to get dry, considering how she ignores the salon appointments her mother schedules every month.
Her father’s secretary walks out from his office and stands in front of her. He bows.
“President Im is ready to see you now.”
Jinah scoffs. “I guess I need to schedule an appointment before I can see him, huh?”
The secretary says nothing, merely giving her another bow while she walks away.
“Why did you cause trouble again?” Her father says the moment she takes a step inside his office.
“It’s nice to see you too. And I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” She answers sarcastically, plopping down the nearby couch.
“Don’t get smart with me,” her father grits out. “How can you fight with Kim Hyuna? Her mother is the president of KS International!”
Jinah chuckles. “Please. It wasn’t even a fight. She started crying before I could even touch her.”
“And you’re proud of that? When will you get your head straight? Have you forgotten who you are and which family you belong to?”
“Forget?” She laughs bitterly. “I wish I could. But how can I when everyone keeps reminding me? Every. Single. Day. From the moment I was born, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t told who I am.”
“You know but you still act like this? I’m not even trying to let you take over the company-”
Jinah cuts him off. “Because even though I’m your only child, you think I’m too incompetent. All I do is cause trouble right?”
She stands up and starts walking out. Her father doesn’t do anything to stop her.
She pulls out her phone while the driver opens the car door for her.
“Park Sooyoung,” she says after getting in. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I don’t know. Sleep?” The younger answers with a groan.
Jinah taps at the window. “Get up. Let’s go somewhere.”
“Where will we go this time?”
Anywhere but home, she thinks.
“Wanna go to that new bar in Gangnam?”
Jinah orders another apple martini before sauntering over to where Sooyoung was, chatting up a guy who looks like he missed a few days of sleep.
“Who’s your friend?” She whispers.
Sooyoung pulls away from the conversation for and replies, “He says he’s Park Cheolyong. I only talked to him because he seemed familiar. I think I saw him at one of my father’s galas.”
Jinah only nods, trying not to pay attention to the staring and loud whispering every time someone passes by. One even takes a picture, not even trying to be discreet. She downs her drink and fumbles for the untouched cosmopolitan on the table.
“Why are you drinking so much? Give me that.” Sooyoung asks, wrestling the glass out of Jinah’s hand.
The bar is suddenly too loud, too bright. She feels lightheaded and she wants to run away. She always wanted to. Somewhere where no one knows her, so she won’t be Im Jinah from Empire Group anymore. Maybe she can.
Jinah fumbles around for her phone and looks for the right number to dial.
“Youngmin, it’s me. Can you lend me a car?”
He says something in return but she can’t quite hear it over the music. Everything spins for a moment then she passes out.
Jinah wakes up with a headache. She opens her eyes and groans, everything spinning for a moment when she sits up. Sooyoung enters the room and hands her an aspirin and a glass of water. Jinah accepts it gratefully.
“Where am I? You didn’t bring me back to the house, didn’t you?”
Sooyoung scoffs. “You think? I brought you home. You were so drunk last night, you passed out. I had to ask that Cheolyeong guy to help me drag you back to the car. It was embarrassing. You kept mumbling about cars and how much you hate Empire Group.”
Jinah groans again and buries her face in a pillow, head still pounding.
“By the way, Youngmin called,” Sooyoung informs while she’s on her way out the door. “He said something about the car you were borrowing last night. I think it’s already outside? Their butler drove it over.”
Jinah scrambles towards the window. She looks out and there was a red convertible parked outside the Park’s main gate. The paint glints off under the sun, looking like it hasn’t been used for a while. She grins. That kid is surprisingly dependable, she thinks to herself.
“Hey, Sooyoung! Remind me to thank Youngmin!” She shouts.
Jinah adjusts the rearview mirror and checks her reflection. The clothes she borrowed from Sooyoung were a little short along the edges but it was better than having to go back to the house to get some of her own. She tosses her phone and wallet over the dashboard.
“Can you go already? I feel like my face is about to fall off.” Sooyoung complains, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Wait, what did you tell your parents, anyway?”
Jinah shrugs. She sent them a text earlier, saying she’ll be away for a few days. They didn’t even ask where she was going. Her mother told her to be careful, but she figured she made the house maid send it while she drinks wine in her room.
“Well, have fun. Text or call me when you have time.”
Jinah nods. She starts the engine and waves at her friend before taking off.
It’s only the second, nearing third, district since Jinah’s departure and she’s already stopped four or five times for gas, food and bathroom breaks. The roof of the convertible got pulled up after an hour or two of driving because of the summer heat. Her temporary freedom doesn’t come easy after all. She drinks from the can of coffee she bought from the convenience store, what’s left of it anyway. Her phone chimes from the passenger seat, another message from Sooyoung, asking her if it’s too late to come back and get her because her parents are trying to set to her up with that Cheolyong guy. Jinah only laughs and keeps her eyes on the road.
She glances at the dashboard and it’s only a few hours before dark. She starts looking around for motels along the way. She figures there aren’t that many hotels in the area she’s in so she keeps driving. Jinah reaches for the radio, trying to see if it still works after turning off by itself hours ago, and something - someone - suddenly jumps in the middle of the road. She hit the brakes so hard she’s almost kissing the dashboard from the recoil. Jinah stomps out of the car.
“Are you crazy?” She screams at the person in front of her car. She can still feel her heart pounding from the scare. “Why would you jump in the middle of the road like that?”
The person stares at her with wide eyes and shakes his head softly. “Not really. Impulsive, probably. But crazy, no. My mother kinda had me tested.”
Jinah gapes. “What?”
“I’m not crazy.” He says defiantly. “I’m Luhan!”
“That still doesn’t answer my question!”
The person - Luhan, apparently - stares at her again. “What question?”
“Why are you in the middle of the road? I could’ve killed you!”
“Oh, that. I need a ride.”
Jinah scoffs. “Are you kidding? No.”
She gets in the car and is about to step on the accelerator when Luhan shouts, “Wait, wait!” while he runs - more like shuffles, the backpack he’s shouldering looks awfully heavy and is almost as tall as him - towards the passenger window.
“Please give me a ride. Please, please, please. I don’t want to spend the night out here.” He pleads.
“Wait, don’t you know who I am?” She asks, realizing how he doesn’t seem recognize her. Most people do after a look or two.
He looks confused. “Should I? I’m from China, if that’s any explanation. Besides, I don’t really watch TV and stuff?”
His father’s company isn’t that well-known after all. Or some people just doesn’t care. That comforts her, somehow. She studies him for a minute, noticing how his clear, unblemished skin almost resembles hers. “Fine, get in.”
Luhan smiles and it’s a nice smile, Jinah notices, his eyes crinkling prettily along the edges. He has trouble getting in because of his backpack so she helps him dump it in the backseat.
“Where are you headed, anyway?” Jinah asks as soon as they take off.
Luhan adjusts the beanie - who wears a beanie in the middle of the summer? don’t you sweat over that thing? - he’s wearing before answering, “Me? Gee, I don’t know. Everywhere?”
“Oh.”
He looks at her with those wide eyes again, curious. “Why?”
“I’m kind of headed there, too.” She answers quietly.
Luhan smiles at her, more brightly this time, like she just gave him a correct answer to his question. “Well, then. We can be travel buddies! I’m Luhan, but I guess you already know that. What’s your name?”
She vaguely wonders why she isn’t in the least bit concerned that a stranger is in a car with her. But he looks so expectant that she answers him anyway.
“Jinah. Im Jinah.”
frequency
baekhyun/iu
Baekhyun takes a tentative step, takes another and another before Jinki spots him from his station, where he’s writing another article, no doubt, and Baekhyun motions at him to not say anything. He smirks at him.
“Changmin, Baekhyun’s here!” Jinki announces to the whole office.
He knows he’s doomed from the way he slams the telephone back to its cradle but he walks up to his station anyway before he can say anything.
“Director, did you sleep well?” Baekhyun starts, even though he knows full well that Changmin is glaring at him. “I guess you didn’t. I didn’t get to sleep a wink last night too. I’ve been working on an article for days and I just-”
“Byun Baekhyun.” Changmin interrupts, rolling up the clear folder on top of his table.
“Yes?” he squeaks. This is bound to get bad. He should get away. He should walk over to his station-
“WHY DID YOU LOSE THE IM YOONA AND LEE SEUNGGI CASE?” Changmin screams, hitting him with the clear folder multiple times.
“Ow, ow, ow, hyung that really hurts-”
“I THOUGHT YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THAT CASE FOR MONTHS. THAT SHOULD’VE BEEN OUR SCOOP, YOU IDIOT. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN LEE SEUNGGI DECIDED TO DROP BY IM YOONA’S APARTMENT? YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN WAITING BY HER DOOR! WHAT WERE YOU DOING?”
Jinki stifles a laugh and Soojung just ignores the ruckus while she types away. Donghae, the one who usually tries to talk to Changmin to calm him down was in Japan for a family trip so Baekhyun just suffers helplessly from his boss’ wrath. To his defense, he really was following that case for months, following the two everywhere, even pretending to be a deliveryman so he could take a peek inside Im Yoona’s apartment to see if there was anything worth writing an article for. There hasn’t been anything, until last night, when a reporter from Dispatch spotted Lee Seunggi coming out Im Yoona’s apartment late in the night, just when Baekhyun fell asleep after a week of failed stake-outs. He didn’t even hear his phone ring, which was out of power until this morning after he charged and turned it on, messages flooding one at a time.
Changmin keeps hitting him and Baekhyun cries out, “Hyung, I have - ow, ow - nothing to say, just kill me - ow - now.”
“I should, shouldn’t I? But that would make me the crazy one.”
Baekhyun nods profusely. “It’s clearly me, hyung! It’s clearly me. Who loses a story like that? Jesus.”
Changmin pinches the bridge of his nose and starts breathing in and out. When he was done, he points somewhere behind Baekhyun. “Say hello.”
“Huh?”
“Say hello!” he points again.
It’s when Baekhyun turns around that he sees the wide eyed girl, someone he’s never seen before, sitting in the corner.
“Have you been sitting there the whole time?” he asks because he was pretty sure the girl wasn’t there when Changmin started lashing out at him.
The girl looked surprised. Troubled? Conflicted? “Um, yes?”
“Who…?” Baekhyun trails off, eyes directed towards Changmin who’s finally seated and hands free of anything weapon-like.
Changmin gives him a look. “The junior employee you kept begging for. Happy now?”
“You said you had no money,” he mutters under his breath.
“What did you say your name was?” Changmin asks the girl.
She grips the pencil she was holding and stands up. “Name? Oh, I’m-I’m Lee Jieun.”
“Lee Jieun.” Changmin repeats. “Okay, get acquainted.”
Baekhyun gives the girl that’s now in front of him a once over. She nervously fiddles with the pencil she was holding at his scrutinizing gaze. She doesn’t seem like the type to venture into the entertainment scene. She seems too scared? Baekhyun waves the thought away.
“Relax, will you?” he says, laughing awkwardly.
Jieun just flinches.
“Well, I’m Byun Baekhyun. I guess I’m your direct supervisor.”
He leads his new junior employee somewhere else, just in case Changmin starts shouting at him again.
Baekhyun shows her the lounge. He needs coffee anyway.
“This is the employee lounge.” he says.
Jieun pulls out a notepad to take notes.
“At our company, everyone makes their own coffee. So you don’t have to worry about making coffee for others and stuff.” he explains. He walks over the fridge and opens it, showing her that it’s full of food. Even though there’s only five - well, now six - of them in the office, their food supply could probably last for two weeks.
“Everything’s labeled. And reminder, don’t - no, never, yes write that down, never touch the boss’s food, unless you want to get lashed at too, just like what happened to me earlier.”
She scribbles in her notepad while Baekhyun eats half of the sandwich labeled as Jinki’s. “Now that’s a good sandwich.” he comments while plucking one box of milk (still Jinki’s) out of the fridge.
Jieun just stares at him.
Next, he goes around introducing everyone.
“He’s our aspiration, our hope, Lee Jinki.” Baekhyun motions to the older boy while Jieun follows him behind. “He holds the record for most articles written. Not only that, he helps with other stuff too. I’m convinced that this company will shut down without him.”
Jinki laughs a bit and waves at the new girl before going back to his article.
They walk over to the station across Baekhyun’s. “Over here is Jung Soojung. She’s relatively new. She just started working in the company about a year and half ago.”
“Don’t disturb her.” he interrupts when Jieun starts introducing herself. “She can get stingy in the morning.”
She nods and writes it her notepad.
“Donghae’s in Japan for a trip. He’ll be back next month so you’ll get to meet him then. And well, you already met Changmin so I guess that’s that.”
Jieun just stands idly while Baekhyun settles in his station.
“Lee Jieun. Hmm.” Baekhyun contemplates while he stares at the new girl during lunch.
She looks up from her bowl of rice. “Y-Yes?”
“Have we met before? You look familiar.”
“I don’t think so?” Jieun answers, shaking her head weakly. “I haven’t, um, seen you before.”
Baekhyun points at her with a spoon. “Right? I get this feeling about people sometimes so I never ignore my intuition. Well, I guess I was wrong this time.”
He takes a bite of his lunch before rattling his experience working in Someday News.
“But you know what exclusive I’d really like to write on?” Baekhyun asks while Jieun quietly takes a sip from her glass. “That mysterious radio DJ who’s never - I mean never - shown her face to the public since she started going on air. DJ IU. Have you heard about her?”
Jieun chokes on her water but nods anyway, face a little flushed.
“I’d like to be the first reporter to know who she really is and write an article, maybe even interview her. I mean, almost everyone in Korea listens to her program every night - even me, especially me, I’m kind of a fan - but no one really knows her, you know? It’ll probably make me famous, don’t you think? A lot of people are curious about who she is, too.”
Baekhyun goes back to eating with a small smile, thinking of the possibilities, while Jieun shoves what’s left of her lunch into her mouth. She must be really hungry, Baekhyun thinks to himself. He shrugs it off.
They went out for company dinner days after and Baekhyun is already drinking his eighth shot of soju, despite Changmin hiding it under the table. Jieun checks her watch again and she’s going to be late if she doesn’t leave soon. Sanghyun’s already sent her a bunch of messages, the exclamation points increasing in every text. Baekhyun’s babbling while he pours himself another glass of soju.
“Is it okay if I leave early? I have somewhere to be…” Jieun trails off.
Changmin is about to say something but he gets interrupted by Baekhyun.
“You!” He says with a shrill voice, pointing at Jieun. “Where do you go all the time? Why do leave the office every 6:30?”
“I-”
Baekhyun slings an arm around her. “Don’t go yet! You know, Soojung told me that she thinks you have a crush on me. Do you?”
Soojung’s eyes widen comically as she chews on a piece of meat. “I never said that! Don't believe him, I didn’t say anything like that.
Jieun nods weakly and looks at the others for help as she tries to shrug Baekhyun off.
“You’re pretty cute and all, but I already like someone else. I told you before! My standards are no joke. And besides, DJ IU is kind of hard to top, don’t you think? Being mysterious and all that. She sings well too! Maybe we can have a duet someday…”
Changmin sighs. “Okay, Baekhyun. That’s enough. Jinki’s going to take you home.”
“NO!!! DJ IU’S PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE ON SOON!” Baekhyun shouts while he stuggles in Jinki’s hold.
Jinki pinches him in the shoulder irritably. “Just listen to it on your phone. Let’s go. Stop struggling-”
“Can I…” Jieun starts but Changmin waves her away with another sigh. He looks tired.
Soojung waves at her and Jieun bolts out the door.
She barely makes it to the station on time and Sanghyun looks like he’s about to cry. Jieun gives him a pat in the back as he gives her the script for tonight and she runs inside the soundproofed room. She takes a deep breath and Sanghyun signals at her that she’s on air in three, two, one.
“Good evening to those who are tuning in tonight,” Jieun says over the music playing in her headphones. “This is DJ IU and I will be with you once again for the next hour, so don’t go anywhere. But before anything else, let’s listen to some music, shall we? I need to catch my breath.”
- it sucks but that was all I can do lol
- only you is inspired by my lovely girl, eyes on the road is taken from a line in passenger seat (kinda inspired by the heirs too) and some parts in frequency were taken from ep 3-4 of healer
- first time writing these pairings so