A/N: Alternate names for the Saja Boys
Jinu - Park Jinu
Romance - Yoon Roobin
Abby - Abel "Abby" Lee/Lee Woojin
Mystery - Shin Myungho
Baby - Jung Bohyun
☾︎✿︎☽︎
“No… this won’t do,” Zoey muttered under her breath as she hit control z on her keyboard.
She stared at the waveform on her screen, eyebrows furrowed, and her teeth chewing her bottom lip. She replayed the track through her studio headphones. It was a simple high-energy pop song which was given to her for minor adjustments and corrections. It was good. But it wasn’t great. And “good” wasn’t going to pay her rent.
"Let's dirty you up," she muttered to herself, her fingers flying across the MIDI keyboard, layering a synth melody over a bassline that felt like a heartbeat.
She was lost in her element, her head bobbing to the rhythm and tempo, the room around her now reduced to a void filled with tunes and melodies. The screen of her monitor illuminated her studio speakers on her desk.
She didn’t notice the movement and muffled noise in the background until she felt the coolness of a water bottle pressed against her cheek, making her yelp and jump in her chair. She already knew who the culprit was.
“What the hell, Mira?!” Zoey exclaimed, tugging at one of her headphone earcups off her ear as she glared at the tall woman with striking dark-pink hair standing before her. The woman's expression was nonchalant, seemingly unfazed by Zoey's irritation. Behind her stood another woman with long, purple hair, elegantly styled in a dragon-tail braid.
“We’ve been calling you for the past ten minutes,” Mira informed, swirling the bottle in her hand.
“Obviously, I had my headphones on,” Zoey rolled her eyes. “I’m kinda in the middle of something.”
“You’ve been on your computer since morning, and it’s almost noon,” the purple-haired replied, arching an eyebrow. “Did you even take a break or, at the very least, eat something?”
“Of course I did eat something, Rumi,” Zoey assured.
“A bag of chips doesn’t really count as food, Zoey.” She said, pointing at the half-finished bag of chips lying next to her keyboard.
“They were easily accessible. I’m working on a grind here.”
Rumi gave Mira a pointed look. “And you say I’m the workaholic.”
“You still are, though,” Mira argued back, making Rumi roll her eyes.
“Can I help you guys?” Zoey asked.
“Yes, actually. Your phone was having a seizure for the past hour,” Mira said, lifting the smartphone for emphasis. “You left it in the kitchen, and we could hear it from the living room.”
“Whoever it is will have to wait,” Zoey said, putting her headphones back on. “I’m comping vocals.”
“You sure? It might be important.” Rumi insisted.
Zoey sighed. “Can you check for me, please?”
“Okay,” Mira said as she and Rumi sat down on the couch in the room, scrolling through her phone. “You have a follow-up email from Jinu asking if you’re done finalising his demo. And ten missed calls and a text from… Gigi?” Mira and Rumi both shared a confused look.
This caught Zoey’s attention. “Gigi called?” she asked, pulling down her headphones.
“Gigi? As in your childhood best friend from Burbank, Gigi? That Gigi?” Rumi asked.
“Who else?” Zoey couldn’t help but laugh and roll her eyes at Rumi’s question.
“And you two are still talking?” Mira arched an eyebrow.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t we?” Zoey replied, confused.
“Well… It’s just that… how do I say this?” Rumi said cautiously.
“She seemed like she was done being friends with you when she visited. So, we assumed that ship sailed,” Mira finished for Rumi with a nonchalant shrug.
“What? No!” Zoey laughed, waving her hand. “We just had a minor disagreement, but we made up like we always do.”
Rumi and Mira both arched an eyebrow. Zoey knew those looks they were giving her all too well.
“Anyway, what did she say?” Zoey asked, changing the topic.
Mira turned back to Zoey’s phone and opened the messaging app. “So, Gigi texted ‘Hey, Z. I tried calling you, but it seems like you’re too busy to even pick up your phone.’”
“Wow, she’s off on a good start with that,” Rumi remarked sarcastically, which made Mira snort.
“Anyways,” Mira continued. “‘I’m engaged. Wedding’s in a few months, back home. You have to be my maid of honour. I’ve sent the invite. Call me.'"
“Oh my gosh! Caleb finally proposed?!” Zoey gasped as her face lit up. “I remember Gigi talking about how she was pushing for him to propose. So glad he pulled through.”’
“She’s been pushing him to propose?” Rumi asked, arching an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say they were dating on and off for six years?”
“Yeah, but relationships take a lot of work, Rumi. You should know, since you and Jinu have been going strong for three years,” Zoey said.
“Yeah, but Jinu and I haven’t been breaking up and making up every few months, Zoey,” Rumi pointed out.
“What matters is, Gigi is finally marrying her high school sweetheart, and that’s worth celebrating,” Zoey replied, turning back to Mira. “Did she say anything else?”
“Well, she said that it’s going to be a big event with a lot of people, and you should bring a plus one,” Mira added.
The words landed differently. The vibrant energy in Zoey’s room seemed to dim by a few watts. Her smile didn't vanish, but it became fixed, a little strained at the edges.
"A big event with a lot of people…" Zoey repeated, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.
A beat of silence passed. Mira and Rumi exchanged a glance, the air in the room shifting from casual to charged. They watched as the meaning of those three simple words seemed to travel from Zoey's ears, down to her core, and then explode outwards.
“Uh… Zoey?” Rumi called out cautiously, studying the dark-haired girl warily.
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