Taehyo and Haneul froze at the exact moment Wooseok walked in.
“What are you two talking about?” Wooseok asked, flashing his usual mischievous grin.
Haneul glanced at Taehyo and blurted out,
“Oh, we were just talking about rehearsal stuff.”
Taehyo crossed his arms and avoided Wooseok’s gaze.
Wooseok looked back and forth between them with a smirk.
“You guys seem closer lately. Did you make some secret pact without me?”
Haneul waved her hands frantically.
“No way! There’s really nothing! For real!”
Taehyo chimed in, almost sounding annoyed.
“Don’t get weird, Wooseok. Seriously, it’s just rehearsal talk.”
Wooseok suddenly put on a mysterious smile.
“Okay. But…”
A moment of silence made the room feel even smaller.
“I just got the news. For the next unit stage, I’m joining you two. Trio style.”
Both Haneul and Taehyo stared at him in shock.
“Trio? Out of nowhere? Why?” Haneul asked, wide-eyed.
Wooseok shrugged like it was nothing.
“The company changed its mind about the concept. And…”
He winked at Haneul.
“This time, I get the main part with Haneul. Taehyo, you’re on vocals.”
Taehyo frowned immediately.
Haneul clapped her hands together anxiously.
“So we have to practice together… again.”
Taehyo muttered, just loud enough to hear.
“This mission keeps changing. Weird.”
Wooseok scooted over to sit right next to Taehyo.
“Don’t worry, Taehyo. I’ll take good care of Haneul!”
Taehyo turned his head away in clear annoyance.
Haneul didn’t know where to look between the two.
Just then, Sujin’s head popped in through the door.
“Why does it feel tense in here? Did you all start fighting again?”
All three exchanged awkward glances.
Sujin grinned.
“Good luck on trio rehearsals! I’ll be watching every second!”
Haneul’s heart started racing for no reason.
Sandwiched between Taehyo and Wooseok, she suddenly let out a sigh.
Maybe, just maybe, nothing weird will happen this time… right?
But Taehyo shot a glance at Wooseok, then looked at Haneul and quietly announced on his way out,
“Let’s practice together tomorrow. Seriously.”
Watching him leave, Haneul couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.