nostalgia, seventeen.
❛ too many secrets ❜

This particular Friday was a blessing and curse for the students of Haean High School. On the happier side, the entire afternoon was to be spent- well, however a spring break festival should be enjoyed.

     But the morning was torture. After pulling an all-nighter, Han Yebin was off to school for the last day of exams. She felt sick in her stomach, knowing that no matter how hard she studied, she'd forget everything the moment she saw the paper.

     She pushed through nonetheless, despite not finishing her History essay on time. But her anxiety was off the roof when she and her friends went over the questions, and her answers didn't match theirs.

     Micha assured her. "It's okay, Yebin-"

     "You're telling me you didn't answer 'a' for number twenty?" Yebin asked, distraught.

     Taeri and Micha exchanged looks, before shaking their heads. Yebin ran a frustrated hand through her hair, before continuing her lunch.

     "Hey, we need you for rehearsal."

     They looked up to see Kang Taehyun, with a walkie talkie in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

     Taeri nodded, moving to pack her lunch. "We'll be there in a second."

     "No, just Yebin." Taehyun stopped her. "We need her for a camera test."

     Yebin nearly choked on her noodles, coughing a bit as she rushed to grab her camera. She stood up, but leaned over the table once more.

     "Are you guys sure you didn't answer 'a'?"

     "Yebin!" Taehyun called.

     The girl quickly bent down for another bite of her noodles, before running. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

     Yebin heard whispering behind her as she met Taehyun, but looked back only to see Taeri and Micha waving her goodbye. She smiled and waved too.

     They got to the courtyard, where a big stage had been placed in the center. Many students were working on the set, and on the stage itself, a group had just finished rehearsing.

     "Figure out where you want to be when you film the performances later," Taehyun directed.

     Yebin nodded, looking around to gage the area. Her eyes moved to the stage, where Jungwon and his friends were adjusting their mic stands, getting ready to exit.

     "You can start filming," Taehyun told her. "For the behind the scenes cuts."

     "Okay." Yebin raised her camera with a smile, pointing it at the older boy.

     "Hey!" Taehyun grinned, before fixing his hair. "Do I look good though?"

     "I think you look perfect." Yebin laughed.

     Taehyun nodded, posing for a while. "I think you're right."

     Yebin filmed a few more fun seconds, until he needed to leave. She went over the video, laughing inwardly before looking around for her next target. Her eyes lit up at seeing the Sanheoli students who'd just stepped off stage.

     "Hello!" She approached them excitedly. "Pre-concert interview?"

     The seven boys looked at her with confused expressions, before shifting completely when they saw the camera.

     Jungwon held back a smile, crossing his arms. "Someone missed our rehearsal."

     "I did." Yebin sighed, before taking the pen in her pocket and holding it in front of her mouth as a microphone. "So, what should the unknowing audience expect for your performance today?"

     She raised the pen in front of Jungwon. He leaned into the makeshift mic. "That's a secret."

     "Sorry, everyone. This interviewee is no fun!" Yebin apologized to the camera, earning a roll of eyes from Jungwon before she turned to Heeseung. "Have an answer?"

     Heeseung nodded. "We're performing a song about sincereness. I think many people can relate to it, especially those who have someone special in their lives."

     "Interesting! And do you have someone-?"

     "No, sadly." Heeseung shook his head, before raising his eyebrows at Yebin. "Do you have someone special?"

     A group of students from the Haean basketball team happened to be passing by, carrying heavy speakers.

    "She used to," a voice answered from behind Yebin.

     The girl immediately turned around to see Lee Kiyoung, who had stopped right in front of them, a smile on his face. She gave him a wide-eyed stare, but he only leaned down to greet the camera in her hands with a wave, before leaving.

     "Who was-"

     "Niki," Yebin called as she turned back around. "How are you feeling right now, an hour before the performance? Any nerves?"

     "Well, we didn't really practice that-" he was nudged by Sunoo before he could finish. Niki cleared his throat. "I mean, no! I think we'll do great."

     Jungwon didn't really hear his response, as his head was tilted at the boy who'd passed by earlier. He looked familiar.

     His attention shifted back when Yebin laughed. "I think so too. Now I have one request- for your fan club."

     "Fanclub?" Jake asked.

     "Do one last message, and wink for the camera!" Yebin said. "Come on, this is the closest we're getting to an idol concert."

     They all agreed anyway, saying a few 'i love you's' and the like. It was Jungwon's turn, and he asked the viewers to look forward to their performance before pausing. He held one eye open with his hand, before closing the other.

     Yebin stifled a laugh, and Jungwon gave her a 'what?' expression.

     "You can't wink?" she asked, causing Jungwon to push her shoulder gently as she laughed.

     "And?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

     "Nothing! I'm not saying anything." Yebin bit back a smile. The interview came to an end, and she stopped recording. Waving to the other boys, she moved to leave, but not before looking back at Jungwon.

     "Good luck on your performance," she said- before winking at him, smiling widely.

     When Yebin was out of earshot, the boys all turned to Jungwon in shock.

     "Stop." Jungwon shook his head. "You know she's just teasing me."

     He only realized what he said after seeing the look on his friends' faces. "No, not that way- agh! I'm going to go practice more."

     Sunghoon smirked as Jungwon walked off. "So you can impress her?"

     "Leave me alone!"