Chapter Text
If the bright glow and steady thrum of the honmoon didnt tell them that the concert was a huge success, it wouldve been the way Bobby had immediately showered the girls in compliments.
"Girls! That was incredible! The fireworks, the glitter, your talent! And your suggestion for the lighting projections onto the crowd looking like threads connecting each stage of the audience together, fantastic!" Bobby quite literally did a 'chefs kiss' before showering them with even more compliments.
"Hi Bobby!" All 3 members of the infamous Huntri/x kpop group said to their manager, the adrenaline and enthusiasm from the crowd still roaring in their ears. Staff members flanked each of them on both sides, offerings of gimbap and other various snack choices, hot towels and water was quietly carried beside the Huntr/x girls as they conversed/sped walk with Bobby to where their driver was already waiting to pick them up.
"Remember, since this is Zoeys home state we will have an extra week here before taking the tour bus and continuing the rest of the North American leg of the tour, then the South American, then the European, then- oh you know what i mean! You girls did great out there, dont cause too much trouble!" Bobby ended breathlessly as they finally made it to their limo where there were already dozens of security guards in place incase any fans decided to get too close for comfort.
As all the girls shuffled into the limk, Bobby ended the currently one sided conversation due to the 3 girls gouging themselves on the snacks. "Im always 1 call away if you need me okay girls? I'll see you sll next friday okay love you!"
"We love you too Bobby!" was the last thing he heard before shutting the car door and watching it speed down the road. Now finally out of the public eye, Rumi instructed the driver to take them to an In&Out that was far enough away from the concert venue that they wouldnt be bothered by any fans looking for a bite to eat. Its apparently a classic american diner that Zoey had wanted them to go to "because their shakes are to die for and the fries taste immaculate".
"Rumi!" Zoey almost yelled, chowing down on a packet of shrimp chips and still in concert mode because the adrenaline hadn't worn off yet. "I'm 99% sure you killed half the audience with that smirk and body roll during the bridge for 'Marks'."
"Yeah that girl in the frontrow with the 'Rumi I Love You' sign in big bold letters definitely fainted after seeing that." Mira snorted, taking a break from eating and reclining back on the soft cushions of the sest behind her. Not as comfortable as their couch back in the penthouse, but close.
"Well when you both did that choreo during my solo the audience nesrly died from their nosebleeds." Rumi retorted before continuing, "Im actually pretty sure i saw someone getting carried off during that actually. Hope that girls okay now" She shrugged before proceeding to stuff a whole role of gimbap down her throat like a lunatic.
"Hey! Save some space for In&Out burgers we're gonns demolish later!" Zoey immediately shot out upon seeing Rumi grab the whole gimbap role, playfully swatting her thigh from her position on the floor and in-between Rumi and Mira.
"Well i personally think that we're just really hot." Mira said before continuing to sip her water cup. Upon seeing both of the girls puzzled expressions, Mira cleared her throat and clarifed "no, thats it. We're just too hot for out fans to handle."
Zoey looked at Mira with the most deadpan expression she could muster, which wouldn't be able to qualify as a deadpan at all. Her attempt at repressing her smile turned her lips into a half grimace half straight line and upon hearing Rumis slight snickering behind her, Zoey was quick to add a "The hottest girls on planet earth!" before devolving into full on laughter. Shoulders shaking, Mira eventually joined them, giggles from the trio only dying out when their driver had knocked on the window seperating them from him to signal that they had arrived.
"Gaja gaja gaja" Zoey says, tumbling out of the limousine and pulling Rumi and Mira in each hand with a new found sense of urgency coming from her rumbling tummy.
The girls fell into step beside each other with the maknae linking elbows with her taller group mates, bouncing and basically vibrating with excitement as the thought of eating In&Out for the first time since they kicked off their America tour kicked her taste bus into overdrive.
Practically already drooling as the 3 of them crammed into a small circle table after they had finished ordering, Zoey felt the last edges of her post-concert excitement fade as she settled in-between Rumi and Mira, hunching on the table and idley playing with their knuckles as they continued conversing about the concert just a few hours earlier.
"-and i get that our fans are 'downbad', i really do. I just cant fathom how they managed to sneak in a bunch of dog collars and throw them onto the stage mid chorus during Golden" Rumi says exasperatedly with her left hand and facing both Zoey and Mira.
"Well I personally think its impressive he managed to throw them all the way onstage, considering all the security we had and the fact that he was seated at the very back." Zoey chimed in to their conversation, mind suddenly bringing back to the incident where she has to dodge the assortment of dog collars whilst coming back onstage to finish the 'Golden' choreography.
"It was very funny watching him bark at security mid performance though, definitely a highlight." Mira said with the faintest edges of amusement curling around her words, giving Zoey her right hand so she could put her left arm behind her 2 shorter bandmates. Brushing the back of Rumi's head and playing with her baby hairs.
"Especially the part where you almost got hit in the face with that pink glittery dog collar-"
"Zoey I was this close to summoning my gokdo and throwing it at him"
Rumi let out a breathless laugh filled with mirth, shoulder shaking slightly as she stared at the 2 bicker slightly, Mira eventually pulling her hand from the back of Rumi's head to swat lightly at Zoeys before settling back down.
The shuffle of movement caught Rumi's attention, looking up and expecting the overworked In&Out teenager to have their food, instead she saw an unfamiliar middle aged brunet man walk up to them. And out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zoey immediately pausing mid sentence, eyes widening before she felt Zoeys hold on her hand retreat to her lap.
Zoey seemed to physically shrink in on herself and that boiled Rumi's blood, because who was he to make her ray of sunshine suddenly a gloomy cloud?
["Zoey! Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Burbank?"] The man started, arms raising up as if coming into hug Zoey despite the table blocking his way, and Zoey slightly flinching before forcing her shoulders to untense and relax. He had always hated it whenever Zoey made him feel like a bad guy, a villain.
["Im sorry, but who are you?"] Miras voice cut in coldly, eyes narrowing and face forming into her signature 'fuck off' face whenever she dealt with unwanted paparazzi. The 2 members quietly shifted closer to Zoey, offering silent support to whatever mental battle she was fighting.
"Mira, Rumi, this is my.. dad" Zoey exhaled, still staring at the slight stubble on his face. The familiar crease of his brow and the way he smiled as if she were his whole world. She stared at his brown eyes, the only thing she had inherited from him, before breaking eye contact and seeing what else had changed about him. He was skinnier than when she last saw him 7 years ago, screaming at Zoey to just go back to Korea if she wanted to pursue her kpop music dream so badly.
["Hey, c'mon now cub, i dont bite. Oh geez, I saw you how long- 6? 7? years now is it? My little tiger cubs all grown up now."] Zoey's dad said, voice taking on a teasing tone as he looked on fond memories Zoey couldnt bring herself to recall. The familiar nickname squeezed her heart, whether it was from fear or happiness she didn't know.
["Yeah dad, sorry i didn't really think to call you. Ive been.. busy with a lot of the concert prep and stuff, you know how it is."] Zoey had to remind herself to breathe, shoulders slowly losing tension as she willed herself to believe that she could fight back against him if she wanted to. And she could most definitely handle a few beatings from him now if the time came to it, what with all the demon hunter training she had received at Celines compound.
"Girls, this is my dad. I lived with him before moving to Korea to start, well training." Zoey spoke with a new found confidence now, effortlessly switching between Korean and English, finding slight happiness at hed father not being able to understand Korean.
["Oh! It's nice to meet you, Zoey's dad. We've heard,"] Rumi paused, recalling the times Zoey had told them about her father, all of the times he took her out for ice cream and when he let her skip school.
["Good things about you, from Zoey."] Mira finished off for her, English a little unfamiliar for her despite belting out lyrics in that language just a few hours earlier. So sue her if she defaulted back to korean when shes in her after concert empty stomach phase.
["Yes, Huntr/x now, are you? Zoeys always had a talent for music, wouldn't shut up whenever sun-something brothers came on the radio.]
'Weird, but not unusual for a middle aged american man to be clueless about The Sunlight Sisters.' Rumi thought to herself, hands finding Zoeys before bringing it over to her lap to ground her if she needed it. Mirs seemed to do the same thing as well.
["Papa.."] the familiar nickname slipped out before Zoey could stop herself, face flushing slightly as she saw a lazy grin break out on her fathers face.
["Zoey you hould come stay a night at home, ive left your room, mostly the same as it is, if not a little dusty. Oh, and have you paid for your food yet? I want to pay, a way to treat you girls for always taking care of my little tiger cub."] Zoeys dad ended, opening his wallet and accidentally flashing his 6 year sobriety AA card.
Seeing Zoeys eyes track the card in his wallet he pulled it out, flashing a toothy grin and proudly launching into a speech about how after Zoey had left, he had fallen into a depression before finding help and bettering himself. If Zoey hadn't clearly remembered the way he'd be angry if Zoey hadn't passed a chilled beer whenever he woke up from his afternoon nap, she would've believed his caring parent act. Despite their clear apprehension to continue the conversation, the girls listened attentive to his struggle with his addiction before finslly over coming it because of the picture of Zoey he kept as his lockscreen.
Bringing out his phone, he showed a picture of a toddler Zoey on the shoulders of a younger version of himself. Zoey let out an audible, but playful, groan as she sunk back into the seats in embarrassment as the girls coo'ed over her younger self. Her turtle onesie and turtle facepaint going down the side of younger Zoey's face was definitely going to become a topic for them to tease her about later, Zoey silently thought to herself as she looked at her girls with fondness.
If Zoey had glanced up even just a little she wouldve been able to see her fathers look of pure disgust at her bandmates childlike wonder and the blush spreading across her cheeks, but she didn't.
Just as Zoeys father pulled his phone away, a server quietly excused himself to place copious amounts of food onto their table before retreating quickly and comin back with even more.
["Jeez Zoey! Are you feeding a homeless shelter with all that food?"] Zoeys father barked out a laugh before continuing. ["I know i offered to pay, but my construction workers salary ain't enough to cover all this food.]
Zoey let out a polite laugh, stomach already grumbling despite herself as her hands reached out to grab the nearest drink she could see. Rumi was already quietly stuffing fries into her face and Mira a burger bigger than her head as Zoey's father leaned in a little too close for her to like.
["Hey, why not you stay home tomorrow night? Papa bear wants his little tiger cub to come back to the nest"] his eyes sparkled with so much enthusiasm Zoey couldnt figure out whether it was real or fake, instead opting to just nod her head excitedly. ["I bet you remember the way back, now i wont interrupt you and your friends buffet. See you tomorrow night."] He finished off, swiping a nugget before disappearing quickly.
Dread. That was the only name Zoey could think of to call the uncomfortable feeling that washed over her and settled into her stomach. Suddenly losin her appetite, the shorter girl grabbed the drink she was already reaching for with a little too much force and brought it to her lips, taking a long sip.
The taste of sickly sweet vanilla running down her throat made her almost gag and want to throw up. But she didn't want her girls to worry.
"So.. tiger cub, bet you were the coolest kid on the block with that turtle onesie, huh?" Mira started, before bringing the already half finished burger to her lips to take another massive bite.
"Yeah Zo, you didnt tell us you were absolutely the cutest kid ever!" Rumi mumbled, fries slurring hamf her words, but she knew they would understand her anyway. Just like how they understood the next large sip Zoey took from the drink was a sip of embarassment, horror, and a last small feeling that they couldnt quite place yet.
"Zo, you okay?" Mira seemed to catch on to Zoeys garbled sip quick as she immediately began coughing, choking on the thick milkshake as both girls started patting her back and Mira bringing a tissue to her mouth.
"*Wheeze* Yah, im fine im fine. Just, didnt expect to see him so fast. I mean, its not like i didnt want to see him! I was just maybe thinking of not corssing paths with him in Burbank." Zoey let out a few final coughs after finished her ramble, finally feeling hungry enough to munch on the fries Rumi was eating.
"You sure? I know you and your father havent spoken for the past 7 years because of the time difference and all." Mira asked, hands still on Zoeys back as she exchanged concerned glances with Rumi. They still remembered her flinching the second she caught sight of him, the feeling of her slightly shaky hands and tense shoulders unforgettable.
"Yeah. We haven't seen each other in a while is all." Zoey said, trying to convince her girls before she had even convinced herself. And as she suddenly remembered the sleepover she had agreed to, a sudden wave of cold washed over her again. Despite every instinct of hers begging her to not say anything else. She couldn't help but go against it like she had all her life with him.
"And plus, the sleepover tomorrow will definitely help us regain some lost connection we had." Zoey uttered before she could even think about what she had just said, mouth clamping shut and down on a greasy burger before she could take back anything she had said.
Rumi and Mira shared a concerned look with Zoey, both unsure of what to say before Rumi finally spoke up.
"And you're sure you want to sleepover with him?"
"Of course!! Its been so long since i've seen him we have soo much to catch up on!" Slipping back into the mask she hadn't needed to don since highschool was familiar and slightly conforting. Zoey took a bite out of the fries still in Rumi's hand and chewed before continuing.
"And its only 1 night, you both can pick me up the next morning and we can head to the aquarium together!"
"Sure Zo, whatever you want." Mira said after. Her voice full of sincerity and concern that made Zoey sick to the stomach. If she didn't believe Zoey would be okay sleeping with her own flesh and blood for 1 night she would just have to make them believe it.
"C'mon guys.. you'll really miss me soo much that you can't beat to sleep without me one. single. night?" Zoey teased, emphasising her last few words.
"Zoey thats you. When me and mira had the flu you quiet literally clawed at my door for 20 minutes and ended up getting sick when you managed to pick the lock and join me and Miras cuddle pile." Rumi let out a snort before playfully swatting miras hand away from her stash of fries.
"Thats because you were having fun without me and i was stuck at solo photoshoots and interviews all day!" Zoey whined back at them, feigning sadness and upset.
"You ended up even sicker than us afterwards" Mira retorted, playfully rubbing the hand Rumi had slapped before grabbing a handful of nuggets and casually tossing them into her mouth.
As they continued on their mix of meaningless banter and scarfing themselves full, the slightly tense atmosphere dissipated. Leaving Zoey to push down and bury the dread bubbling in her stomach. It was only 1 night, how bad could it possible be?