ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬
─◌✰್ 𝗇𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝗃𝗈𝗈𝗇？

dingdonghong okay where did you take this picture, why are you on a roof 🧍‍♀️
> ryerye just to show we're above everyone, yk? 😋
    > ramenoodlaska @ryerye we're just that cool gotta shout it from the rooftops
        > mymymy @ramenoodlaska of the mall hehe
            > dingdonghong @ryerye @ramenoodlaska @mymymy did they let y'all up there or...?
                > catdad_lee @dingdonghong we should just stop asking questions bc the answers are always concerning.

matchatess ooh girl these fits are a cultural reset 😍
> ramenoodlaska right?? we wanted to model them there 🤪
    > huats.up @ramenoodlaska literal magic queens!!! 
        > robin_is_a_penguin @ramenoodlaska wait are these halloween costumes??? i thought y'all had fits already???
            > mymymy @robin_is_a_penguin ig you will have to see hehe 😏
                > matchatess @mymymy what has gotten into the maknae???

nomnominnie you do give musa vibes now that i think about it 🤔
> mymymy i think that may be the biggest compliment i've ever received
    > ryerye @nomnominnie i think she can die happy now
        > ramenoodlaska @nomnominnie she might just pass out rn lol
            > minniemmouse- @ryerye @ramenoodlaska i don't understand you girls...
                > sunshine.lix @minniemouse- if you ever want to date one of them, you'll have to
                    > minniemouse- @sunshine.lix at least the girl i like is semi-normal
                        > ryerye @minniemouse- wtf does that mean, bro? 🤨

changaroo97 did @ramenoodlaska make these? they look great!
> ramenoodlaska hehe yes i did, but don't compliment ME christopher 😉
    > sunshine.lix @changaroo97 @ramenoodlaska yeah don't you have something to say to one of the other people in the photo?
        > changaroo97 @ramenoodlaska @sunshine.lix ... some friends you are.
            > ramenoodlaska @ryerye i'm a great friend aren't i?
                > ryerye @ramenoodlaska i've been summoned?
                    > ramenoodlaska @ryerye @changaroo97 has something to say to you 🥰
                        > changaroo97 @ramenoodlaska you really are an annoying little sister. i understand where @the.official.hwang is coming from 😔

You suddenly felt lightheaded.

"I-I understand," you managed to say, swallowing the bile rising in your throat. "If I'm allowed to ask, what would you like to talk to me about?"

Se Ri cleared her throat, clearly feeling uncomfortable. "The leadership here at Park and Paws are concerned about your performance, and more importantly, your progress with the dogs in your care. Based off the reports you've been sending us, it feels very stagnant. So continue doing your best, and based off that, when you come back, we will talk about your employment status. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I... I will continue to do my best." Your voice faltered, so you cleared your throat and continued, with as much confidence as you could muster. "I truly believe these dogs have been improving, and the training program I've set up has been working."

Se Ri sighed on the other line. "I know Lanhua, and if it were up to me, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you. You're an amazing worker, sometimes too amazing. I wanted you to take the time in Seoul to have fun, and work at the same time. But my manager doesn't like hearing about you leaving the animals in the care of others, and when he found out about- well, you know, he was exceptionally mad. Does that make sense?"

"It does," you replied, but you weren't really listening anymore. It was like you were having an out-of-body experience. Even your words sounded like they were coming from someone else, muffled and distant. "Thank you Se Ri, I will speak to you at my next progress report."

After you hung up, your mind was still reeling. Se Ri's boss didn't want you working at Park and Paws any longer. He thought your performance was lacking.

There was the potential of you being fired.

Your stomach lurched at the thought. How had you messed up so badly? You thought this was going to be a fun, relaxing, yet productive trip. You'd even gone so far as to call it a vacation. Spending time with your friends had been so much fun. And even with the few stumbles along the way, you were now in a relationship with Changbin, a man you never thought you'd be able to find, let alone deserve.

And yet here you were, in danger of losing the thing you'd worked hardest for, the thing you were most proud of accomplishing. You loved Park and Paws. You loved animals. And you loved your job. In fact, you loved it so much, that it had inadvertently become weaved into your identity. You were a hard worker, the girl who did everything right. That was how everyone else saw you, so how could you see yourself as anything different? And now, you were in danger of losing it all.

What would you be without your job?

You stumbled over to a bench outside of the lodge. Although Changbin was most likely waiting for you inside, the mere thought of facing him turned your stomach inside out, and sent anxious pangs to your head. If he found out you were such an idiot that you were getting chewed out by your boss for being lazy, would he even want to be with you anymore? You weren't sure you were brave enough to find out.

Tears filled your eyes, as you thought about the possibility of Changbin leaving you. It had only been a week since he'd asked you to be his girlfriend, but in that short timespan, you'd really grown to care for and rely on him. Your feelings had always been strong, but something about it being official had unconsciously opened your heart.

"Hey, you okay?"

You turned your head to face Kim Namjoon. He'd taken off his pirate eyepatch, and was watching you, a plastic water bottle in his hand.

"Asshole Namjoon?" you mumbled, glancing up and him. You hadn't even had anything to drink yet, so you weren't entirely sure why your words were pure gibberish, but you supposed that happened when anything bad relating to work occurred.

"What did you just call me?" The man raised his brows, confused.

"Nothing," you replied hastily. You had to admit, after the infuriating encounter back at the cabins, you'd expected him to way more douchey, finding you having a mental breakdown like this. But surprisingly, he was acting the complete opposite. Was he... concerned?

"What's up, Namjoon?" you sighed, attempting to clear your head, in case he tried anything funny again.

He frowned, worry framing his face. "I came out here for a break from the noise, and I find you huddled on this bench, all alone. This is your party, isn't it?"

You nodded stiffly. "Yeah, it was. Well, it is. I just... I got some news, and it's shaken me a bit. I'm okay though, I was just about to go inside."

Namjoon took a seat next to you, removing his pirate hat. You had to admit, while it was a bit of a ridiculous get up, he didn't look too bad. No wonder those girls were ogling him.

"That sounds like some bullshit," he replied bluntly. "You can tell me, you know."

Your head slumped into your hands, as you rubbed your eyes. "I got a call from my boss basically saying they're thinking about firing me when I get back from this trip."

Namjoon's sharp intake of breath didn't make you feel any better. "Ouch," he lamented. "That sucks. Why do they want to fire you?"

"They think I'm not doing well. They think the progress I'm making with the dogs isn't good enough. Apparently I'm having too much fun, and unless I show significant progress, they'll probably fire me." Your throat constricted, stopping you from continuing.

Namjoon clucked his tongue as he pondered. "We can't let that happen now, can we?"

You frowned. "We can't? How is a guy like you gonna stop me from getting fired?"

"Well, I am the one working at the dog shelter," he reminded you. "I know those dogs better than anyone. If they're giving you trouble, I could help."

For the first time since you'd picked up your phone, your heart lightened, just a bit. Was there hope after all?

You bit your lip, trying to tamp down your expectations. "Okay. Why don't we go inside, and talk about it? I could really use a drink, or ten."

Namjoon smirked, nodding. "Yeah, I can tell."

You pursed your lips. "Okay, what the hell does that mean?"

Namjoon shrugged nonchalantly. "No offense, but when I saw you sulking, you looked like shit. You still look like shit. For such a hot girl, something must really be wrong."

You rolled your eyes. "Ugh, I was just beginning to wonder where that asshole personality had gotten off to. I thought you were turning into Nice Namjoon. Glad you're back."

Namjoon snickered behind his hand. "I knew you called me an asshole earlier. Nice to know you're not just a pretty face."

You punched his arm, hard. "You should have known that from the moment you met me, dumbass. C'mon, if you don't wanna drink with me, then I'll drink by myself."

But in spite of your harsh words, you couldn't help but smile. Somehow, Asshole Namjoon of all people had made you feel just the teeniest bit better.

Maybe you could just keep this from Changbin, for now. Maybe it would give you a bit of time to forget about it, pretend it didn't happen. Just for tonight. 

"Cheers." You clinked red solo cups with Namjoon as you poured both of you a heaping serving of spiked punch. It was sickeningly sweet going down, but you took multiple fortifying gulps anyway. Besides, you weren't drinking for pleasure.

"So... about our plan." Namjoon tried to circle back to your previous line of conversation.

You finished off your first cup, instantly going back for more. "On second thought, I don't want to talk about work." You shook your head with a frown. "It's Halloween! Isn't Halloween supposed to be fun?"

Namjoon shrugged, an amused look on his face. "I guess so. Fuck it, I'm down."

You cheered with your cups once more, before drinking. Glancing around the room, you noticed the Golden Trio standing together with new outfits on. "What are they wearing?" you asked, brain already turning to fog.

Namjoon turned around to take a look. "I think they're fairies," he responded. "Sexy fairies, at that. Should I go talk to them?"

About a dozen guys were circling around your friends, as they debuted their second Halloween costumes. Upon closer investigation, it seemed that they were dressed as three of the Winx fairies. Mya was Musa, Alaska was Stella, and Riley was Bloom. They looked absolutely stunning. You'd have to compliment them later.

A certain guy, with black hair and an adorable, boyish smile, had his attentions set on Riley. You thought he looked a lot like TXT's Soobin. Since you'd seen other members of the group earlier that evening, there was a high possibility it was indeed him. He was dressed as a prince of some sort, with a gold crown and everything.

"So, since I'm a prince and you're a fairy, what do you say to becoming a fairy princess?" he asked, an earnestly confident grin on his face.

Alaska and Mya both wrinkled their noses at the cheesy pick-up line, but continued to watch with great interest as the guy attempted to shoot his shot.

"I'm just saying, I'm loving the outfits, where did you-" Soobin continued, eyeing Riley's blue getup.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with my girl?" Suddenly, Chan appeared over Riley's shoulder, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Who's that guy?" Namjoon hissed, jabbing a finger at Chan.

"That's Christopher Bahng," you responded, trying not to miss any of the conversation.

"Oh, he's Berry's owner, right?" Namjoon nodded in recognition. "I didn't know he could be so-"

"Riley is my- well, I asked her on a date!" Chan glowered at Soobin, like it was a challenge. "And she said yes!"

"Yeah, I said yes to a date that hasn't even happened yet!" Riley snapped back, hand on her hip. "Maybe if I had known you would never actually plan said date, I wouldn't have accepted!!"

"See?" Soobin glanced back and forth between them. "She can't even decide if she wants to date you, dude. Doesn't look like she's yours at all."

Chan turned to face Riley, hands balled into fists. "I wanted to- I wanted to ask you on a proper date, Rye!" He spluttered, trying to stay calm. "I wanted it to be perfect! I hadn't thought of the absolutely perfect place for us to go, so I hadn't made plans yet. But you know what? Fuck it. I'm taking you out, tomorrow."

"Oh yeah?" Riley raised her eyebrows expectantly. "I don't believe you. Where are we going? And when?"

Chan's arms flexed as his fisted hands opened and closed. "I'm taking you to a pottery place twenty minutes away. I've heard it's one of the best. And then I'm taking you to a nice dinner. Be ready by three."

Riley stared at him, dumbfounded. "I- oh. Okay," she responded, eyes wide as she stared at the man, who was grinning smugly at a deflated Soobin.

"Oh my gosh, girl!!!" Alaska squealed, slapping Riley's arm over and over again. "Your man laid his claim on you! Are you gonna lay-"

"Laska, shut up!" Mya giggled, cheeks flushed. "He's literally right there!"

Riley rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not gonna get laid tonight, Laska." But you could see she was giddy all the same.

You turned to Namjoon, downing your second cup. Deciding to switch to margarita, you served yourself from the far right bowl. "So, if that didn't answer your question, no, you shouldn't ask any of them out," you giggled, words starting to slur together. "Laska is hella taken, Mya is obsessed with Jeongin, and now Chan has officially asked Riley on a date! They're all basically taken."

"Aw, damn that sucks." He grinned widely, finishing off his first drink. Clearly, you were way ahead of him. "How about you, are you still single?" he asked, a playful gleam in his eyes.

You practically chugged your margarita at that question. The mere thought of Changbin had your heart racing, stomach lurching. Honestly, that always happened when you thought about him, work and alcohol bedamned. "Yeah, Bin and I are together." You smiled goofily. "I really, really like him. But I'm scared that if I tell him-" you hiccuped, "tell him about 'you know what', he might not wanna be with me anymore."

Namjoon frowned, setting his cup down on the table. "There's no way that guy would let anything stop him from spoiling you," he tutted. "He's clearly so in love with you, it's kind of gross."

You shook your head, swallowing more alcohol, trying to force the image of a disappointed Changbin, shaking his head at you, from your mind. "I don't know about that." You dabbed at your eyes, trying not to mess up your makeup any more than it already was. Fuck, why did Se Ri have to call you on Halloween? This was supposed to be the one night where you had all your shit together, and you looked hot. You were dressed as a sexy angel, for God's sake! And you deserved this night. And now, you were a hot mess. A drunk, hot mess.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of that comical mouse hat. Freezing, you scrambled for the stairs, a few feet ahead of you.

"Wait, where are you going??" Namjoon protested. He was just starting to get tipsy, finishing his third drink. "We were just starting to have fun!"

"Sorry!" you cried out, taking another margarita to go, before dashing up the stairs.

Hide, hide hide, your brain chanted in desperation, hoping against hope that Changbin hadn't seen you make your clumsy escape.

Spying a random room with the door half-cracked, you wrenched it open, and raced in, shutting and locking it behind you.

Just for tonight, you promised yourself, shutting your eyes and taking a deep breath. One night to forget, then you would tell Changbin everything.

You just hoped he would understand, and not leave you like every other guy, when they realized you weren't the perfect girl they thought you were.

—————————————————

Changbin waited for you for a solid twenty minutes, before giving up and starting to search for you instead. He knew you'd gone outside, so he decided to start there.

But after another twenty minutes of scouring the yard, he came to the decision that you weren't out there, either. He wondered why you hadn't gone and found him immediately, but perhaps you had gotten distracted. There were a lot of people here, and there was a large potential that you knew someone. Maybe you'd gotten caught up in conversation.

"Hey Minho, have you seen Hua?" He asked his friend, who was sitting in the living room, glaring bullets at a couple standing a few yards away.

Minho barely glanced at him, shaking his head aggressively. "No, I haven't," he gritted out, eyes never leaving his target.

And then he saw you. You were standing in front of the punch bowl, gulping from a red cup and giggling loudly. There was someone standing next to you, the person causing you to make such an adorable, happy noise. That person - man, specifically - made Changbin's teeth clench, his whole body to tensing up.

Namjoon.

It's okay, Bin, he reminded himself. He knew you had no interest in the man. And for once, that wasn't the problem. Seeing you laugh so organically with someone else, when it felt like you'd purposely avoided him for the past hour, was like a knife to the gut. And you were doing all that, in favor of spending time with Namjoon??

He could go over there and talk to you, he reasoned with himself. He knew that he could just as easily take you away, and ask to spend time with you. You were his girlfriend, after all.

He watched as you disappeared up the stairs, his body poised and ready to speak with you. He had nothing to lose.

But something, possibly seeing you ignore him entirely, stopped him. Call it pride, embarrassment, or just plain cowardice, but he couldn't will himself to do it. All he could think, as he trudged away to sit with Minho, was...

Was it so bad that to want to be wanted?

laska's note —
well, the halloween party isn't going nearly as well as we'd hoped.., poor hua, getting such bad news during the middle of the party she put together! and of course, namjoon has to get in the way once again... but this time, he's being nice and helpful...? that was unexpected! will changbin get over his pride and go find hua? or will he let his pride get the better of him? and will hua end up telling him what happened? and finally chan has made plans with riley, we're so glad! poor soobin lol he tried. what else will hua get up to at this party? things just seem to be falling apart...

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟯𝟭 - 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝘀
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊