They were preparing a new collaboration song with one artist, and so Hwa was pretty tired. He didn't want to listen to Jaemin's snoring from the next room, so he headed home for tonight.
And he didn't want to deal with anything now. His days didn't go as he wanted. His voice wasn't supporting him today, and he had to repeat his lines more than twenty times. In the end, the producer told him to go home and rest, before coming earlier tomorrow.
On his way here, he had eaten moss and whatever drops to make his throat better so it would be ready tomorrow.
Tired, Hwa took a hot shower. So hot that when he got out to the hall, his body was steaming. Craving something, he went to his kitchen and opened one of the fruit drawers. He was surprised to have so many groceries there, but someone was probably shopping, so it wasn't a pic deal. He took out an apple.
At first, Hwa didn't notice, but when he bit the apple and his mouth was filled with a disgusting plastic taste, he noticed it was too light for it to be a real apple.
He was totally baffled, not knowing what was going on. But after a few seconds, he started laughing and went back to the drawer to take another one.
Seonghwa carefully measured the weight of each apple just to realize that out of the ten he had there, none of them were real. None. Even the tangerines were all fake. Grapes. Everything he had at home was fake, made out of plastic foam or polystyrene.
He went to the fruit bowl he usually had at the coffee table and again, weighing all of it, he realized it was all fake. Who was here to change it all? Who would have so much time to do this?
The answer to that question was at the bottom of the bowl in the form of a small sticky note written in English. At first, he was annoyed, then he started laughing again. Especially when he translated it, it was written simply so he could understand it without the use of an app.
"Your fruit is hostage until you give me back my photocard! Lucy." Seonghwa was laughing so hard. It was the first time someone retaliated when he pranked them.
His band members would usually let it slide and ignore him after getting mad. And to be honest, he did it for the reaction. It was funny to see people all flustered and mad red, just because he tied all their shoelaces, or changed all their food for something they hated.
Sunjun was getting all angry and flustered for a month when they trained for a comeback, and Hwa wore all his clothes in a bright green color. Because Jun hates that color so much. As if it was something to get angry because of. Just ridiculous.
Yet, this reaction was something new. And somehow it was even more entertaining than those usual reactions.
Now, Seonghwa was curious whether Lucy saw her laptop screen, or this reaction was only because of the photocard he posted. He regretted it a bit because it was already too late when he was told that this photocard was pretty rare. Too rare.
And that Lucy already posted it on Twitter, so fans made some connections. And too late, he realized she was targeted. First time in his career he asked his fans to calm down.
And it wasn't taken too well. That was why he was called in by the CEO. Just to be reminded who was making him money. Well, on the other hand, Seonghwa reminded him of the same. Who was making the CEO money and whose contract was soon expiring...
It wasn't as if C-land didn't have fans or any other offers from different companies. They were idols without any scandals and that was something wanted in this industry.
Seonghwa opened the door to his room, smiling with the sticky note in his hand, and laid down, still looking at it. The fruit was a hostage. He laughed again.
This was good. She took his food because he took her photocard? What was she thinking? It wasn't anything that he cherished… Seonghwa put the sticky note on his night table and closed his eyes, thinking about the next step he should take.
This was war. Funny war.
And he had several pranks in his mind already. They were classical, nothing that would hurt someone. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. It was the other way Hwa had to find a way to make her like him. And that was all he needed to win that bet. After that, both of them would be free.
***
Lucy had one intention with her pranks. Not only did she do intense research watching all of C-lands varieties and dramas in a few days. She even interrogated Seonghwa's team members and found out his habits and dislikes, fully ready to use them against him.
One problem showed up though, Lucy found herself being entertained and actually even attracted to the group. When she watched the shows, she noticed they were behaving similarly to the times when they were with her.
Kangmin jokingly teased older members, especially Hyunjun, who was stern and did not smile much when he didn't have to and then be hyped up out of nowhere. Jaemin just sighing and saying anything when he didn't have to. Sunjun was extremely good at everything he did. And then, there was Seonghwa.
Hwa, as he was called, was really playful, smiling a lot, but kind and caring for his members. At least in the variety shows or interviews. He never was kind to her.
Well, that wasn't right either. That one time at the airport, he did help her to stand up and apologized for something that wasn't his fault.
Lucy sighed and played another episode. Her laughter was getting out of hand when she saw Kangmin getting scared in the haunted house. Meanwhile, Hwa was not reacting, but his immediate reactions were to grab Hyunjun's arm whenever a zombie approached.
But it was probably hard to hire zombies. Wouldn't it be too brutal? Would it be?