❀ recording studio 2 | peony

@♀ baek wonhee Won harbored a secret he dared not acknowledge, not even to himself: an undeniable magnetic pull whenever Wonhee graced his presence. Whether by design or subconscious inclination, whenever she drew near, he found himself torn between holding his ground and discretely withdrawing. The mere sight of her settling beside him would compel him to subtly inch his chair away, a small but significant gesture veiled under the pretext of adjusting his position in front of the monitor.

"Come on, you're not even gonna heat it up? That's practically a crime," he remarked with a slight wrinkle of his nose, clearly not a fan of cold meals himself. The producer was known for his insistence on enjoying food at the optimal temperature, a standard he held dear. It seemed this was one of the few areas where he and the female counterpart didn't see eye to eye.

"Well, let's give it a listen. I've got two versions queued up for you," he offered, his attempt to maintain a professional distance occasionally slipping as he momentarily forgot the self-imposed boundaries. With a casual gesture, Won reached for his headset and gently placed it over Wonhee's ears, a familiar ritual from their years of collaboration in the studio. She had been privy to his musical journey from its roughest sketches to its polished masterpieces, her feedback always valued and considered. In a sense, she had become one of Won's muses, though lately, he found himself questioning the nature of their creative dynamic. Perhaps it was due to unresolved feelings that he dare not acknowledge.

Professionalism was one of the things that the producer prided himself with and so once they started working together, he would tunnel vision and focus on the task at hand. The two would go back and forth between melodies, testing what would sound better and listening to them again and again until they would both agree on the version that sounded best. It was one of the rare moments that Won did not dislike the company and input of others. The song he was working on had a slow tempo, almost a love song but not quite as it still leaned towards pop.

“Does this sound better now?” he inquired, delicately removing the headphones from her ears with a gentle touch, a soft chuckle escaping as he observed how the headset tousled her tresses. Temptation nudged him to playfully ruffle her hair further, a habit ingrained through years of camaraderie, but he caught himself mid-action, a sudden awareness of boundaries causing him to retract his hand before it could linger. Old habits die hard, it seemed, but he was determined to respect the new dynamics between them.

“Okay get your arse in the recording booth, let’s hear it with your voice.” He instructs her in english and waved her off towards the room so he could get some space to collect his thoughts and perhaps stop whatever wishful thinking he harbored.

@❁ lee won『ᴏɴᴇ』ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ with every step she takes, wonhee tells herself that she shouldn't be thinking too deep about it. he asked for help, and she volunteered. it was plain and simple— it held no ulterior motive. yet, she feels her heart racing erratically as her destination gets much closer, her fingers clutching onto the phone that's pressing on her chest, holding the invitation that he'd given her a few minutes ago.

it wasn't like this was the first time they've met at an ungodly hour, after all. there is no reason for her to panic nor sweat. she'd known him for years— way before she'd landed herself a permanent position in her group. she knew his quirks, his favorites, how heavy his hand was when he places it on top of her head. he was more than a friend, so close to being family... and yet—

she felt like she's about to commit something forbidden by seeing him like this. the hazy memory of the kiss she'd initiated in her drunken grief growing much more vivid at every encounter she had with him. seeing him made her regress back to that girl who once looked at him with admiration: the girl who wore pretty dresses whenever her brother would invite his bestfriend over. the girl she thought she lost for years after her brother's untimely passing.

there is much to say, but wonhee realized that there is nothing to be done about that, too, because, including her, it seemed that won has foregone in mentioning anything about it even when she, herself, thought that the kiss was an imagination she procured after a few weeks of being around him. ever since that day, despite the growing awkwardness that surrounded them, they uttered no word about it— keeping their pretenses in hopes of keeping the normalcy they've had way, way back.

and so, even as her smile remain crooked, she tries not to show any signs of unresolved feelings for him, hands shoved under her thighs as she sits on the empty swiveling chair next to him— not too far, nor too close to give meaning. after all, in her heart, there is only ryu hajoon— he, himself, knows that. “a little stale and a little cold. it's still chicken,” she says with a careless shrug, looking away from his face when it starts to get too much for her heart, chest puffing out as she takes a huge breath. “and the song?”

@♀ baek wonhee [Backdated]

It had been an excuse, but she offered her time, and he would not squander the opportunity.

Won lounged back in his chair, his frustration palpable as he wrestled with the direction for the current song he was crafting. The melodies were finely tuned, and the lyrics meticulously penned, yet when it came to the crucial decision of selecting the perfect voice, he found himself at an impasse. Presented with two compelling options, he sighed deeply, torn between which path to pursue.

In the depths of the night, with uncertainty gnawing at him, Won reached out to the only idol he felt comfortable contacting—Wonhee. Knowing her nocturnal habits, he was confident she'd be awake, perhaps with little else to occupy her time after a late meal. Inviting her to join him seemed like the most natural thing to do in that moment.
See him.

Won couldn't shake the memory of that fateful night, the one that seemed to cast a shadow over their interactions of late. He often attributed it to the influence of alcohol, convincing himself it was insignificant. Yet, deep down, he feared that addressing it would only widen the gap between them. Ironically, it was his own hesitation and avoidance that seemed to be driving them apart.

Their relationship had always existed in a gray area—more than friends, but not quite lovers. It was a peculiar dynamic that both intrigued and frustrated him. Despite the ambiguity, he treasured their connection, yet navigating its complexities proved increasingly challenging.

Despite his best efforts to maintain a façade of normalcy, Won couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation as he awaited her arrival. Rationalizing that she was simply there to assist him, to be a friend and nothing more, he struggled to reconcile his lingering emotions with the reality of their relationship.

The beep of the door snapped Won out of his thoughts, signaling her arrival. With a casual turn of his chair, he faced her, offering a welcoming smile. His gaze observed her as she entered, taking in her demeanor and expression, searching for any subtle cues. There was a curiosity in his eyes, a silent inquiry into her state of being, as he awaited her approach.

“Did you enjoy the chicken?”

@❀ maekawa mizuki『ᴍᴊ』ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ *trots over to the chair, clambering on it quickly, legs tucked underneath my , and I roll over closer, using tabletop to drag myself*
Doesn't need to be huge to be a masterpiece. The best perfumes come in tiny little bottles, you know.
So. Speak to me, let me in on aaaaaall of this.

@♀ seo jiyoung『ᴊᴀᴅᴇ』 Hm?
/looks towards the door, a wide grin appearing across my face that only grows when you follow through, patting the empty chair right beside me as I wait for you to take a seat/
It surely has been a while, huh~ Mmm it's nothing huge, just some inspiration that happened in twilight hours coming to fruition - so I'll need to borrow your voice for a bit!

@❀ maekawa mizuki『ᴍᴊ』ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Knock-Knock~ MJ-ssi?
*pokes my head at the door, following through soon, waterbottle in my hands and a little babyblue handbag to match the crop top and leggings outfit, comfort above all*
Yayyy, so glad to meet up again, it's been a while! Can't wait to see what you have for me today~

@♀ seo jiyoung『ᴊᴀᴅᴇ』 /sets up the equipment and the lyrics sheet as i wait for you, making sure everything was properly tested and the machines were working right/

@❀ vincent mary lee ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ He can't stop himself from laughing at Vincent's shocked face; eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Jiho's smile turns into a slight scowl when his cheek is pinched (he would forever deny pouting) and he steps back to make it easier for Vincent to turn around. "Last I checked I should have manners for people who deserve it," Jiho says, eyes sparkling with something playful. He places his hands on Vincent's shoulders, ready to excuse the hint of red on his cheeks as the fault of the studio lighting. "Sure," he says, playing with the hair at the back of Vincent's neck, blunt fingernails scraping against his skin. "Between friends and something, if that's how you want to describe this."

@❁ eun jiho ᶜʰᵒʳᵉᵒᵍʳᵃᵖʰᵉʳ "WOAH—" the initial shocks wears off and vincent finally removes his hand that has shot up to press against his erratic heart, his eyes slowly narrowing to a glare though they bear no heat in it. "still no manners, jiho." his voice bears no heat as well. and the way his hand comes up to pinch jiho's cheek lightly, perhaps a bit vengeful because that's who they're in their bare essence, and turns his chair around, properly faces jiho. "since when you're an esteemed guest?" his hands come around, loose, jiho's waist, "thought we're somewhere between friends and something."

@❀ vincent mary lee ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jiho knocks on the door to the recording studio. He gets no answer - as expected - and decides to just let himself in. The door clicks shut behind him and he pulls down the black mask that was covering his face. "Yah, Vin Lee," he says. Still no answer. Of course, the man sitting at the controls has a pair of blocky headphones over his ears. Jiho walks over and grabs the right side of Vincent's headset, pulling it away and leaning over the back of his chair. In his ear he says, "It's not nice to ignore your guest that you personally invited."