In a dressing room, a woman was being styled for her role as the host for Music Bank that day.
"I will never get tired of styling you, Miss Minju, you're so pretty!!!" one of the stylists said, making Minju blush a little bit.
"Come on, guys, are y'all always gonna tell that to me every week?" Minju replied, giving a weak laugh.
"We won't since we will never get tired of looking at your lovely face!!!" the other stylist said while putting the finishing touches on Minju's makeup. but while Minju was having a lighthearted moment with her stylist they heard someone knocking on door.
And it was Minju's partner on her Music Bank hosting duty, Hyunjin.
"Apologies for suddenly intruding, but the showrunners are calling for us now, Minju," Hyunjin said while waving at Minju's stylists, who were trying to get themselves organized in front of the handsome young man.
"Sure, I'll be there in a minute. You can leave now." Minju coldly said, Intimidating Hyunjin a little bit.
"O-Ok, I'll take my leave now," Hyunjin replied, immediately leaving the dressing room.
"Yah Kim Minju, why are you always so cold at Hyunjin? It's like you're always trying to keep him within arm's length," Her stylist asked her, confused about her demeanor earlier.
Minju just told them that it's just her being a "Professional" but in reality, ever since it was announced that Hyunjin and her was going to be the new hosts for Music Bank. The never-ending shipping the fans did on you both was getting on her nerves for quite some time now.
And to make things worse, those constant shipping became more problematic when Hyunjin confessed that he had started catching feelings for her due to their "skit" they had been doing in front of the camera.
Minju didn't tell Hyunjin's confession to her stylist, even though she likes her team of stylists. It is still hard to trust other people when it comes to this kind of issue, since it could put their careers in serious jeopardy.
And speaking of her career, it was also shared with her fellow members that their contract as a group will not be extended due to the differences in direction the companies wanted to take regarding IZ*ONE's future.
With all of this happening to her, it's no wonder she wanted no part of being in another potential mess of being in a dating scandal with her workmate....
But in reality
deep inside her heart
She was waiting for you to eventually return.
"I hope you're doing well, Y/n, wherever you are."
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After 1 and a half hours of doing the hosting job, it's finally time for Minju to go back to her dorm with her manager, but for some reason, Hyewon was also with them on their way back due to her having a schedule in the same building.
"~You know Hyunjin is kind cu-" Hyewon was about to tease Minju, but Minju didn't let her finish.
"I'm not interested," Minju said, making Hyewon laugh a little bit.
"~I mean, I think Hyunjin seems like a good guy and a gentleman. Plus, he's good-looking—most women would love to be in your position, you know?~" Hyewon said, causing Minju to look at her with a blank expression.
Minju quickly thought about scolding Hyewon for this weird topic, but opted to just let it pass.
"Well, most women ain't like me," Minju said, making Hyewon smile.
"Fair enough."
---
As Hyewon and Minju, along with their manager, were on their way home, she heard her phone ring. Reaching into her purse to grab it, she noticed that Eunbi was calling. Meanwhile, Hyewon glanced at Minju's phone to see who was calling, but instead, she caught a glimpse of Minju's wallpaper, which prompted her to look at Minju with sympathy.
After telling Eunbi that she and Hyewon were on their way home, Minju noticed Hyewon looking at her with a somewhat sad expression. Being the kind-hearted woman that she is, Minju asked Hyewon why her mood had suddenly changed.
"Your wallpaper....I saw it," Hyewon sadly said, making Minju smile weakly.
"Yes....What about it?"
"So that's why you keep pushing those countless celebrities away...
After all this time, it's still Y/n that holds the key to your heart." Hyewon said, making Minju nod.
"I'm so stupid, you know... two years have passed and I still love him even though he left me...without even saying goodbye to me," Minju said with her tears slowly falling to her cheeks.
Hyewon quickly noticed Minju's pain and immediately comforted her by hugging her, ensuring that Minju felt understood and supported.
"You're not stupid, Minju, you just love Y/n that much that even after all this time, you're still waiting for him to come back," Hyewon said, making Minju cry even more.
"Y-yes... I-I don't wanna be with anyone if it's not him," Minju said, making Hyewon hug her tightly.
Seeing her member being like this, over you, Hyewon can't help but be mad at you for leaving her best friend in this state... but at the same time, she understood your reasons for vanishing.
She simply wished you had informed Minju of your decision, whether for closure in your relationship with her or for other reasons that could provide Minju with clarity about what she is truly waiting for.
"Y/n, if you could only see how much you meant to Minju... I pray that someday you stop being a coward and reach out to her in any way possible, because at this point, Minju might wait for you forever."
-----
The drive back home was silent, and a little bit after that, they finally arrived at their dorm.
Hyewon helped Minju fix herself first before they went and see their other members. After that, they went inside their dorm and immediately saw their other 10 members waiting for them, seemingly preparing for a team meeting of some sort.
Sitting beside their fellow members, Eunbi, the leader of the group, announced that their remaining schedule as a group had already been sorted, causing the rest of IZ*ONE to look at her with sad expressions.
Seeing the members' expressions, Eunbi tried to cheer them up by telling them they would have a two-day farewell concert and they would attend multiple university fairs to do what they do best: make people smile.
After the meeting concluded, the members decided to call it a day and went straight to their respective beds.. All of them worried about the future one way or another.
But among the members, Minju is hurting the most....
From losing you and now, potentially losing her group that she considered family for 2 years. She genuinely doesn't know what to do anymore...
The night may be peaceful, but Minju's heart is in turmoil.
Confused, scared, and in pain.
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