𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 . . . seventeen's :: wang meiling

WORD COUNT: 2.1k
CRACK
THIRD PERSON
APRIL 16, 2024

meiling didn't want to be dramatic, but if she wasn't going to eat something soon, she genuinely feared she would explode from pure hunger. it coursed through her veins and she felt it in all parts of her stomach. this was not fucking normal.

the hybe cafeteria was closed as it was three in the morning. she felt like she was one the only idols in the building currently, and that was not helping her hunger either. how could she have a meal without anyone to talk to?

she didn't want to bother any of the others, they were most definitely sleeping soundly in their own houses. she sighed, picking up her bag and turning off the lights to the practice room she had been occupying for the past few hours as she exited.

in all honesty, she had no idea why she was still here. she wanted to go over the choreography just one more time, yet somehow she ended up staying for another five hours.

the cold air of the long hybe hallways sent shivers down her spine. the black padding surrounding each wall irked her most of the time, but especially now that she was alone in the middle of the night. she didn't consider herself a scaredy-cat, but she got scared a few times. now was one of them.

each one of her steps became heavier with the weight of her fatigue. her vision was started to blur as she attention shifted to a figure that was approaching. pure panic raced through her. she was a female in the middle of a long dark hallway. anything could happen.

instead of screaming, she stopped in her tracks, slightly stumbling. her legs felt numb from the hours of dancing. as the figure stood in front of her, her vision cleared.

her face lit up with recognition at the man in front of her and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "hansol! what are you doing here?" he shrugged, "i couldn't sleep so i came here. why are you here?" she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "i've been practicing."

he rolled his eyes, "you never know how to properly rest, noona. wanna walk home with me?" she ignored his first comment as an idea finally struck her. "do you want to get something to eat with me first? i'm starving."

maybe it was the tiredness racking through both her bones and brain that made this thought seem like such a revelation. he thought about it for a moment, "sure, why not? i'm pretty hungry too. wanna go to the convenience store?"

she giggled, "thanks hansol-ie. yeah, i think that store's the only thing open right now." he nodded in agreement, a comfortable silence filling the space between the two.

they exited the hybe building, the warm air of a spring night washed over them like a much needed hug. her shoulders relaxed in response. the smell of the night ( something vernon denied existing ) painted a smile on her face. the continuation of nature was a beauty she would always admire- life keeps going no matter what. day or night, rain or shine, life or death, nature stops for no one.

she had gone to this convenience store so many times her body had taken her there without a second thought. vernon trailed behind her after stopping for a moment to admire the tall apartment building atop the store.

the sliding doors needed to be pried open as she entered. she bowed to greet the cashier, but no one was there. strange.

the store was eerily empty. the only sounds were the two's footsteps against the tiled floor and the humming of the air conditioner. a shiver ran down her spine.

"this is creepy," she whispered to the younger. he looked unfazed, shrugging in response. "not really." his blunt answer made her rationalize her thoughts. she was making herself scared for no reason.

she grabbed a cup of ice, the cold solid contrasting her warm skin. she took a bag of peach juice to pour into the cup, watching as vernon mimicked her with mango juice.

the two grabbed ramen to finish it all off, heading to the cashier to pay for their meals. they set their items on the counter as the cashier was still missing.

they waited a long three minutes before anyone spoke up. "you think we could just eat it and pay for it when they get back?" before she could reply, the lights went out. the only light came from the refrigerators.

her heart sped up as she immediately turned to the boy. "hansol, i can not be doing this right now. this is so fucking creepy, oh my god!" she rambled, the fear rushing through her veins causing her to struggle to think of anything but it.

"it's fine, leave some cash on the counter and we'll get out of here." how was he so rational? she wished she didn't let her fear get the best of her. he snickered as she fumbled with her wallet, shutting up once he met her stern gaze. she slammed down 25,000 won, hoping it was enough.

she followed closely behind vernon as they approached the exit doors. he grabbed the door handles and... it made a clicking noise, but didn't budge. he let out a laugh as her mouth fell open in disbelief.

"we're locked in, aren't we?" he nodded, laughing even harder. he clutched his stomach and she could only look at him skeptically before joining. they both fell to their knees, clutching at each other's clothing.

she was brought to tears from laughter as she suddenly stopped, the reality of their situation finally dawning on her.

"how long do you think we'll be stuck here?" he asked as he laid down on the floor. "until tomorrow morning, probably. but i thought they were open twenty-four seven," she trailed off as she laid next to him.

they sat in silence for a moment before he suddenly gasped, sitting up. "they're closed because tomorrow's a holiday!" her mouth fell open, making an 'o' shape. "are we stuck here until tomorrow night, then?"

he stood up, leaving her laying against the cold tiles. he shrugged, a minuscule frown etched on his face. he grabbed both of their ramens and got hot water from the machine, making them food.

she had been so stressed from their predicament that her hunger had been long forgotten. the smell of trashy flavoring packets made her stomach rumble. vernon stifled a laugh at the sound, unable to see her piercing glare trained on the back of his head.

she sat up, leaning against the shelving. her phone chimed with a text from seungcheol. a small pool of guilt formed in the bottom of her stomach knowing he didn't like to sleep alone.

SEUNGCHEOL
where are you?
i'm worried
haven't heard from you in a while

MEILING
locked in a convenience store for the night
i'm with hansol so don't worry
ill see you tomorrow lovie

SEUNGCHEOL
what the fuck.

she giggled to herself, turning her phone off. hansol sat down next to her, carefully placing the steaming ramen cup in front of her. she thanked him quietly before digging in. it tasted much better than usual due to the lack of food from the previous day.

once finished, she lightly pushed the empty cup away from her. she watched as vernon consumed his last few noodles, breathing out.

"do you ever miss the life you never had?" meiling didn't know where the question came from. she felt it slip from her tongue after, most likely, lingering in the back of her mind for far too long.

he sighed deeply, turning to face the older woman. "sometimes i think about what i would be doing if i wasn't an idol," he paused to collect his thoughts. "otherwise, not really- there's no point in swimming in my regrets, i'd drown. and the only thing i have control of is the shots life is making me take now, not the shots i missed in my past." she nodded, her eyes meeting his. she found vulnerability in them.

"you're so wise, hansol-ah," she complimented after a silent beat. he smiled softly, looking down at his palms. "strange for my age, no?" she studied his face, "existence, on its own, is strange. to be anything at all is strange."

he hummed in understanding before standing up, wiping off his pants right after. "can you push me really hard in that shopping cart? i wanna go fast?"
she giggled, nodding yes. he held out his hand to help her up, which she gladly took.

she went near the cashier's empty desk, where the carts were stored. she pushed it to the very back, where vernon had just moved. as she struggled to climb into it, she spoke. "it's funny that your mind went straight from our talk to speeding in a shopping cart."

he laughed quietly once finally sitting comfortably in the middle of the metal grate on wheels. he gave her a count off and she jogged forward two steps before pushing him off with all the strength she could muster.

he went zooming, to say the least. she was worried he would crash into the front doors. in that case, at least they would be out of this stupid store. thankfully, he slowed down to a stop at the very last moment before disaster.

she ran to catch up to his stopped cart. the soles of her feet aches from the moments of standing around in the store piled on top of practicing all day.

once she reached him, he finally climbed out. he struggled for a minute before gesturing for her to climb in. she did so, not without groaning. "it must be hard to dance with thirty year-old joints. it must be hard to do anything."

she laughed in disbelief, "you can shut up!" she was about to insult him one more time but was cut off by him running and pushing her away. if vernon was zooming, she was flying.

her hair whipped backwards, the cold air biting her cheeks. she let out a tiny scream as she crashed into one of the shelves lining the back wall. a few bags of chips fell into her cart as well as on her head.

she met hansol's eyes and the two burst into uncontrollable laughter. she clutched her now aching stomach, pausing to take a deep breath. she refused to look back at him once calming down, knowing one glance would send her spiraling into laughter once more.

the heaviness of her eyelids suddenly became apparent. she staggered out of the cart, the metal becoming very uncomfortable on her exposed skin. "i think i'm gonna go to bed. is that fine?"

he breathed out, "of course it's fine. i'm getting tired too, honestly." she smiled softly at him. he returned it before leading her to the left corner of the shop. making himself comfortable on the floor. at least as comfortable as he could get on a cold, tiled, floor.

she used her sweatshirt as a blanket, throwing half of it on the younger. he pulled out his phone to watch netflix, turning on his side and turning off the sound as to not disturb her.

she was too tired to check hers, instead searching for it in her pocket and placing it on the floor beside her. she didn't know how, but eventually she fell into a deep slumber.

meiling woke up as the sun's rays glared against her skin. her back had already began to ache and she knew it would be in pain for a while longer. she turned to greet hansol, but was met with an empty spot where the man once laid.

as if on cue, a loud gasp rung throughout the store. "noona! we're so dumb!" he shouted. she put on her sweatshirt and swiftly grabbed her phone before making her way towards his voice. she stopped in her tracks once what vernon gasped about came into view.

it was a large emergency exit door. vernon pushed and it opened with no problem. she let out a sigh as she walked out into the morning. the two stopped after taking two steps forward.

they silently made their way to the hybe building, that day's practice weighing on both their backs. obviously that day was one of their few practice days.

they entered the practice room together and all twelve heads turned to them. immediately they were all greeted with a resounding, "where were you?"

instead of responding, they could only look at each other and laugh.

LANA SPEAKS . . . !

finally updated this book and it's badly written !! forgive me please i'm not doing the best irl hahaha

ignore vernons lil speech not making any sense! thanks !