Chapitre 63: All The "Sorry"'s I Never Said (3)

Kim So-yeon, otherwise known as @miyongsleft_ball sat in front of her computer screen as determined as one could ever be. She wore a track jumpsuit and with her hair in a messy bun, had her face lit up by the bright screen.

On the screen was the Ticket King, the infamously difficult ticketing site. It often shut down due to overworked servers and charged unnecessary fees. She imagined herself a man deployed midst a war, an army of Producer10 contestant fans as the enemy forces.

Producer10 offered just two hundred seats to the performances of the remaining teams. And by just Witter alone, Kim So-yeon knew at least two thousand people were gunning for those tickets.

She rubbed her hands together, preparing her fingers to work fast. She was Mi Yong's biggest fan. She went to every Winner show. She defended Mi Yong's name after every scandal. She went to every fan meet. She was the one who cried the most the day Winner's disbandment was announced.

The clock hit 3:00 P.M., the ticket sales had gone live.

Kim So-yeon clicked. She clicked the middle most row, the least gunned for, it was a strategy she had learned from years of being a K-Pop fan. The price hung in front of her eyes. It was expensive, but it was worth being able to be an early fan on whatever group would debut from Producer10.

Quickly, she typed in her card information she had studied to the point she could recite it in Korean, English, and Japanese.

And then, she clicked the big blue 'purchase' button. And it began to load. It loaded and loaded and loaded. Kim So-yeon held her breath. For Mi Yong, for Joon-woo– a contestant she had become particularly fond of. Please. She begged. She prayed.

And then the screen in front of her suddenly turned into that of a checkmark. She had done it. She had her seat.

She quickly snapped a photo and opened Witter.

@miyongsleft_ball

Got my tickets!!

She included the cropped photo of her ticket information.

When her Weet sent, she began to see if anyone else had been able to snatch a ticket or two. Her grin grew as she read through the complaints.

@jkookarchives

Ticket King crashed. Dhmu. 😭😭😭😭 I'm sorry I couldn't support you Ryeo Hyunnie :(((

@hearts4winner

Did anyone even manage to get tickets? It crashed immediately…

Kim So-yeon nodded proudly. She had won. She had won over these slowpokes. She evilly cackled to herself. Her next problem was what outfit she would wear…

–+–

The team gathered around two open laptops. On them was a Ticket King page reading: "I'm sorry, but this event seems to be sold out…" All faces but Ryeo Hyun's and Joon-woo's were soured. Reggie seemed especially disappointed.

"Our fans are so fast, aren't they?" Song Chunghee hummed. "My parents are gonna be so sad I couldn't secure them seats…"

Reggie nodded along, but stayed quiet. No one seemed to notice the complicated emotions swirling on Reggie's face, but Joon-woo did. He knew the other probably missed his mother to death, after all they were quite close. If Joon-woo had a parent that loved him like that, he would probably be the same.

"I'm sure some videos will be released." Ryeo Hyun comforted, oddly unaffected by the lack of familial tickets. Perhaps he too had family issues or none at all like Joon-woo?

Baek Du-Ho pursed his lips, "I guess…" He looked… sad? The angry-looking Baek Du-Ho, of all people, looked sad. Joon-woo didn't take the other to be a mama's or dada's boy.

"To think you see your family even less when you debut…" Song Chunghee huffed, as if it was a topic that often weighed on his mind.

Joon-woo slightly gulped, feeling Reggie's stare fall upon him. Reggie was the only person who knew that Joon-woo's parents were dead. Joon-woo found the stare of worry unnecessary, after all he had grown used to a life without a support system. But still, to someone who grew up with the love of a dedicated mother like Reggie, it must be something hard to fathom.

"I wonder, though…" Song Chunghee suddenly prompted, looking for the cameras to make sure they were off. "Who do you think will actually debut out of us?"

The question shot Joon-woo in the chest and every other vital point. He knew the answer. He knew the answer wasn't him or Song Chunghee. He knew the answer and no one else. He tried to hide his darkened expression.

Reggie hummed, "I hope all of us will." He replied.

Joon-woo pursed his lips. He stayed silent as the group began to talk.

"If you were to debut, what position do you think you'd debut in? I think Reggie-ah would be the main dancer…" Song Chunghee continued to prompt more conversation on debut and Joon-woo's gut shifted inside him.

"Hyun Hyung would be the all-rounder leader…" Reggie added, gesturing to Ryeo Hyun's stoic expression. "And Du-Ho Hyung as the main rapper…"

Joon-woo winced. "And Joon-woo-ssi as the main vocalist…" Baek Du-Ho of all people spoke up.

Joon-woo knew that Baek Du-Ho knew. Ever since the nurse had told Joon-woo that Baek Du-Ho was the one that found him, he had kept close watch on Baek Du-Ho. And like a hawk the other watched over him.

Joon-woo carefully caught a glimpse of Baek Du-Ho as the other, again, was staring at Joon-woo like he was some sort of prey.

"Ohh, imagine if Joon-woo-ah sung and Du-Ho Hyung rapped and then Reggie-ah danced! Perfect trio!" Song Chunghee pointed at the three of them.

Joon-woo sighed. Weren't these guys quite the dreamers? They still held faith in the fairness of the industry. It was honestly a bit cute, so cute in fact, Joon-woo felt a bit bad. Really, all hope did was lead to misery in an industry like this. And soon, these guys too, would come to except such. Joon-woo dreaded the day that it would happen, but dwelled just to himself, as his team conversed about a faithful debut in front of his eyes.

Joon-woo huffed, trying to clear his mind. If he wanted to do well for the live shows tomorrow, in which he really had lost most motivation to do so, he would have to get his mind in order. He looked to his team, who chatted and laughed and were genuinely excited. And in his maknae of a body, thought 'really, aren't I too old for this?'