July 2018 — BIG HIT ENT., TRAINEE PRACTICE ROOM

"Let me get this straight," Heeseung crossed his arms. "You've been seeing a girl in your dreams, and you couldn't tell me any sooner?"

"More or less," Sunghoon fidgeted with the towel in his hands, apparently forgetting he had picked it up to dab the sweat off his forehead and neck. "She...she looks like that mermaid. Not exactly like her, but pretty close. I didn't tell you because it sounds even crazier than a mermaid, and that sounds insane by itself."

Heeseung leaned back, contemplating this information. "Any idea why?" he asked. "Why they look alike, I mean."

"Well, she did tell me she has two sisters," the younger boy raised the towel and dabbed at his face when he realized beads of sweat were dripping down his nose. "Something about how they all have different curses, but she didn't tell me what it was or why."

"And this girl in your head is nameless, too?"

"Yeah. I should name her something like Ocean Girl too."

"Is this another one of those things that you're not going to let go of?" Heeseung asked, already anticipating the embarrassment. "Because it was definitely a spur of the moment thing, you know."

"Yes, I know," he grinned. "I also know that you think she's beautiful. It's obvious, hyung. You were very much staring yesterday and she pretended to not notice."

"I'm guessing that last part came from your girl, though," Heeseung said, ignoring the redness in his cheeks and ears. "I can't help it! She doesn't look anything like any girls I've ever seen before. It's like...like she was there this whole time and I just didn't know it. Now that I do, I don't want to be away from her."

"So why didn't you go see her today, then?"

"Obviously because I can't go off to the beach on a school day in the morning," Heeseung frowned. "And you do realize we've been training for almost ten hours? I actually really wish I did go today. Maybe tomorrow. She's interesting."

"You're in love already!" Sunghoon hooted, taking great delight in having the upper hand. "You're actually in love for real!"

"I am not!" Heeseung protested, shoving him by the shoulder with no particular gentleness. "Oh my god, Sunghoon, shut up! I'm not in love!"

"Who's in love?" one of the other trainees poked his head into the practice room. "I can hear you both screaming from a mile away. Ooh, is it you, Heeseung hyung?"

"Shut up, Park Jongseong," Heeseung growled, reddening even further. This was so not what he had wanted at all. "Why do you target me first?"

"You're the one with the red face," Jongseong said. "Also, Sunghoon is the one yelling 'you're in love,' so it's rather obvious. So, who's this mystery person you're in love with?"

"Just some girl we met at the beach yesterday," Sunghoon answered evasively. Heeseung was glad for his secrecy, because he certainly wasn't going to be the person who explained the mermaid to Jongseong again.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Jongseong smirked. "Seeing as he's all flustered."

"He's absolutely whipped," Sunghoon said with absolutely no guilt at all. He couldn't stop staring at her at all."

"I hate you both so much!" Heeseung exclaimed. "You guys are literally the worst!"

The two of them waved this off, knowing he didn't really mean it. "Hey, what about that mermaid you were talking about?" Jongseong asked. "Are you going to admit that you hallucinated her or not?"

Heeseung opened his mouth to reply indignantly, but Sunghoon expertly stood up and stepped on his foot at the same time. "He was just messing around," he said a bit louder than necessary to mask Heeseung's yelp of pain. "He's not crazy."

"No, but tiredness and overworking is a thing," Jongseong said. "You two really overdo it sometimes. Take a break, will you? We're allowed to take a week's break this Saturday. You two should take it."

"I'll consider it," Sunghoon said. "It has been tiring lately."

"No," Heeseung said firmly. "I can do fine, stop worrying about me. Besides, I won't be around as much because my teacher's popping another assessment on us so I have to put more effort in studying."

"I just want you to take care of yourself," Jongseong insisted. "This week is the monthly evaluation and you know you can't be in anything less than top form. That aside—"

"—I can't pass out again or something like that, I know," Heeseung sighed. "I promise that won't happen. If you ask me, you should be telling Sunghoon that, too!"

"I already cornered him this morning," Jongseong said. "I have done my job as the responsible one, so please. Take care of yourselves. Not because I said so, but because you have to."

"I am definitely trying my best," Sunghoon said. "I do have a competition coming up soon, so it's not like I have much of a choice."

Having extracted these promises from them, Jongseong left to go back home. Sunghoon left shortly after that, too, since his mother was already calling and demanding he get home already.

That left Heeseung to practice for the next half an hour, trying to get off his mind what the girl had chased away, what the conversation with Jongseong and Sunghoon brought back immediately. The familiar questions of am I enough, am I working hard enough, do I deserve to make it, crowding intrusively in his brain.

I am enough, he thought fiercely as he packed up his things and left the building, feeling strangely unapprehensive of the fact he was a young kid going home alone late at night. I am enough. I work more than I should. I deserve to make it.

But no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, the questions lingered. No matter how much he closed his eyes and gave himself pep talks, they bounced around in his brain, each one forcing its way to the front of his consciousness.

He wondered what Ocean Girl would think of these thoughts he never seemed to be able to get rid of.

✧✧✧

WORD COUNT: 1023

A/N: definitely doing a better job of heeseung's character arc tbh.

A/N from BEACH:

A/N: OK OK OK SHUT UP LET ME FANGIRL ABOUT FORGET ME NOT

First of all  - I WILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT JAY'S UNDERCUT LIKE BRO HE SUITS IT SO WELL?????

It was the Crown duo who sang the intro of Forget Me Not?? Not at me thinking it was everyone w/ Ni-ki -

WHY ARE THEY SO CUTE PERFORMING THIS SONG I SWEAR HOW DID I NOT KNOW THEY PERFORMED THIS LIVE. Jungwon's expression is the cutest as he sings the chorus, let's not even start about JAKEHOON AT THE START OF THE SECOND VERSE. 

OR RIKI WITH THAT ADORABLE SMILE AT HIS RAP PART. Hands down one of my favorite parts. This boy is so captivating all the time WHY. He's so cute 🥺

DAMN THE WAY THEY JUST KICKED UP THEIR STAND MICS THO. Heeseung hitting those high notes effortlessly ✨ main vocalist indeed. This is my chance to say, PEOPLE. Give my boy Sunghoon some more appreciation for those vocals!! This was proceeded by Sunoo's amazing vocals, too, does this group have any holes? 

In conclusion, I am: dead. Stream Forget Me Not peeps.