Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

22 [tattooed]

Seonghwa wraps a scarf around his neck, bopping along to the song on the radio as he waits for Byul and Yeosang to emerge from the ground. The ground seems to rumble for a moment as the opening is revealed, with a slightly confused Byul following Yeosang.

She, yet again, is wearing borrowed clothes from him, which look baggy as it doesn't exactly fit her. He has more clothes than he actually needs, that even if they were to create another closet for her from his clothes, his wardrobe would still be full to the brim. He buys his clothes impulsively, and as he had claimed to the rest of the boys, it's 'retail therapy'.

Since they are planning to go out, Byul has dressed less like her and more like one of them; she has fitted a cap on, slid on a hoodie and a pair of faded loose jeans, which needs a belt to hold it in place. Yeosang is wearing the same thing as her, but he forgoes the cap and instead pulls up his hood. They had to go out through the headquarters because she needed to avoid the cameras in the cafe at all cost.

This left them no choice but to take the long and slithering way out, which involved Yeosang calmly guiding her through the maze of their headquarters, while Byul couldn't hide her astonishment as they delved further. Along the way, they didn't bump into San, whom she didn't know whether he's still inside or has went out through where they are now. Something feels unsettling as she kept on remembering the look he gave her before he disappeared behind the washing machine.

From their small adventure through the hallways of their headquarters, she also apparently learned that Yeosang's codename happened to be 'Statue' and he begrudgingly said that it was all because of Wooyoung. As they stepped into the garage where their vehicles are kept, she didn't stay so subtle when she let her jaw drop open from the range of cars, vans and bikes - which are all, apparently, from high-end brands. All of them don't go below 100,000 chromas.

"Huh, one of the cars is missing. Was it San?" Yeosang had mused to himself when they passed the row of vehicles. He didn't seem too concerned about it, as if it was just a passing thought.

She had stared longer at the empty spot, her mind racing with what could have happened back at her flat yesterday. Did they open the box? If they had found out about the contents, they shouldn't be writing a 'sorry for doubting you' note, and instead it should be the other way round. It also didn't match with the fact that the box looked exactly the same as it was as she last remembered it, the duct tape hastily spun around, attaching the lid to the body. She had shaken the contents and noted that there was still something inside. Unless they replaced it, knowing that she wouldn't check it straight away.

"Hurry up, Byul!" Yeosang shouted back at her, waiting as a silhouette at the entrance of the garage.

She skittered towards him, tucking the cap close to her face to make sure she's disguising herself as meticulously as possible. As... if going out just two days after her supposed 'death' was ever a good idea. Then again, she doesn't know what a 'good idea' to this group of men is, because she is convinced that they collectively share one brain cell, while Hwayoung seems to have more brain cells than them combined.

Yeosang gets on the vehicle on the passenger seat beside Seonghwa, while she slumps back into the leather seat behind them. Seonghwa locks the door, guides the car to emerge from the forest and cruises along the highway, leaving their district behind.

She can't help but notice how he's smiling all the way to the tattoo parlor, while Yeosang is simply busy looking at his phone. When he catches her eyes in the rearview mirror, the eldest smiles broadly. It's probably her exaggerating since she has only known him for two days - and that doesn't even mean she knows him - but his eyes are sparkling. Like Yeosang had said; it's the tattoo parlor, but is it the what or the who that is making him exhilarated?