the way you see it, right now, you have two options:

as much as you want to take option two, disappearing for that long — with fans filming their next lot of fancams as long as you're in sight — will arouse too much suspicion, and you're under enough heat from management as it is.

you take a deep breath, and out of sheer instinct, clap as the crowd does, feigning a smile as the host announces bts' stage is commencing.

next to you, iseul — the only group member who knows why you can't stand bts — subtly eyes you, gauging your reaction.

you're proud to say you know enough about music to know how to keep in time with a beat, and the way your head nods along to their song is a reflection of that; but it's automatic, habitual, and happens as you stare at a prop on the back of their stage at an adequate enough distance that it looks as if you're watching bts themselves as they dance.

next to you, iseul shifts in her seat as if fixing her posture, but the way her arm conveniently nudges your side doesn't go unnoticed by you. your eyes widen, lips forming an o, as you pretend to be impressed at a signature bts dance break, hands clapping a little faster.

you hate these end-of-year award shows. you hate that you probably look like a seal right now too.

for the rest of the performance, you plaster on a polite smile, taking your cue from the rest of your group members to react appropriately to what happens on stage. as one song transitions to another, iseul leans over, hand cupped around her mouth, whispering in your ear as if she was gossiping away like a teenage girl about the cute boys in front of you both.

"how much are you hating this right now?" she asks.

you nod your head frantically, grinning.

"i hate my life so much, dude," you reply with clenched teeth.

"hey, _____. you're up in ten."

"yep," you say, not looking away from your reflection in the mirror as you sweep a brush across your cheeks, rose-coloured blush staining your skin.

now off stage, jimin skips down the stairs, one hand holding his ripped thong against his crotch, the other holding a bundle of cash, as he runs behind the line of female dancers sitting at their tables.

he comes to a full stop behind you, grinning as he looks at you through the mirror with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"oh? we're going with the pink glitter tonight? what's the occasion?" he asks, leaning forward to rest his chin on your shoulder.

"the occasion is that, after tonight, we are officially on holiday for two weeks," you reply, combing mascara through your eyelashes. "also, why are you so close to me when you're basically naked right now?"

"ah, a holiday," jimin repeats, sighing wistfully as he steps back to lean against the wall with a smile, letting you finish your makeup. "why does it feel like it's been ages since we've taken time off?"

"are you two going somewhere?" saehee, who sits in front of you, asks, peeking around your mirror. "you two are gonna be gone for a while."

"yeah, thank god," hyemi says next to you, brushing her hair. "maybe some of us will finally get a chance to score some money, instead of these two stealing everyone's attention and getting all the dough."

"hey, i told you: yoga, bitch," you say, packing up your makeup and laughing. "you start doing yoga, and i guarantee you'll start dancing better."

in the middle of the meeting, you look down at your phone, rolling your eyes and holding back a smile, barely paying attention to what your father says. beside him, your mother sits smiling calmly, constantly fixing her hair in what you recognise as an act of boredom; you can't blame her, considering you feel the same way.

"excuse me," you say quietly, tucking your chair back under the table and slipping out of the back door, almost certain that your father will have something to say about it when the meeting is over.

you look down at your phone, chuckling quietly to yourself, before lifting it to your ear.

"yo," jeongguk answers.

"what now?" you say, leaning against the wall. "this better be good; i'm about to get roasted by my dad for leaving a meeting."

"so... is that a yes to you being free right now then?"

"what do you need?"

"can i come up?"

"tsk. if you must."

"oh, i must, alright. i must hard."

"oh god," you groan. "right now? with my parents in the same building? you've got balls, jeon."

"what? no! no, i wasn't talking about sex," jeongguk says, gasping. "although, if you're down... hey, i'm not gonna complain."

"hmm. maybe i don't want you to come up after all."

"no, come on, i swear i'll be quick!"

"wow, give yourself a bit more credit than that, babe."

"don't – you'll make my dick hard."

you're in the process of tying your hair up when you hear a knock at your apartment door.

"hey, hey, hey!" taehyung greets when you open your door, rustling a grocery bag in his grasp with a grin.

"you read my mind. please come in, good sir," you say with a gasp, comically bowing, hands clasped at your stomach, as he walks in, toeing off his shoes.

"this semester has been rough. i can't believe we survived it."

the both of you fall onto the couch with tired sighs, and you finish fixing your hair as taehyung unpacks the myriad of snacks he's brought over. he hands you a can of sprite, bringing his knees up to his chest as he sinks back into the cushions.

"no minah?" he asks, opening a can of coke for himself.

"nah, she's gone off with her girlfriend on that camping trip for the weekend since they're both done with their exams too," you reply. "if you didn't come over, i would have showered and spent the rest of the night walking around here naked."

his own can of soda stops halfway to his lips as he slowly turns to you.

"well. don't let me stop you from living your best life, babe; better yet, i can help you out with that shower if you want."

a frantic banging at your door wakes you from your sleep, and when you come to your senses, you realise you're smelling... smoke?

"_____! _____, wake up!"

the panic in hoseok's voice, and the incessant beeping of the smoke alarm, has you clambering out of bed, somehow having the good sense to grab your phone before slipping on your slippers, almost colliding with hoseok when you open your front door to run out of your apartment.

"we gotta go!" he cries, running down the hall with you.

"what's going on?" you ask, following behind him.

"there's a fire! everyone's getting out. cover your nose and mouth."

the both of you head for the fire exit, skipping steps as you run down the stairs until you hit the ground floor lobby. you see firefighters at the front of the building directing everybody out.

you're right behind hoseok, ready to run out, but in the distance, you can hear someone calling out for help.

"wh-- where are you going?" hoseok cries, noticing you're no longer following him out.

"i think i can hear mrs. choi!" you say, running in the opposite direction.

"are you insane?"

"just go! and get some help! i think she's stuck in the downstairs laundry room!" the door to the communal laundry room is shut, and you lean forward slightly to listen close. sure enough, you can hear someone crying for help on the other side. "mrs. choi! mrs. choi, it's me, _____! it's gonna be okay!"

you look around, seeing a grey cloud seeping into the lobby from the direction of the residents' parking garage. adrenaline surges through your veins, and you pause, trying to remember what to do.

thank youuuu!! hehehe i actually considered going back to uni and doing speech pathology a few years back but that never happened so... i guess the next best thing is writing it into a drabble HAHAHAHAHA

thank youuuu!! honestly these drabbles have been really fun to write!! i've missed writing hehe i hope you're doing well and staying safe too, babe!! ♡

..........i was LITERALLY thinking about this au the other day!!!!!

mayhaps they will make a return for spooky season huehuehuehue