NUDES

15

As soon as they finished eating, Jeongguk and Lalisa headed out to have a little walk on the way to BLACKPINK's dorm. Lisa initially disagreed, but Jeongguk wanted to be boyfriend material so she just let it be.

"You never told me," Lisa started, putting her hands inside her jean pockets, "Why did you go to the river? Is something bothering you?"

Jeongguk shrugged, "I'm having difficulty this comeback. My voice isn't cooperating and we had to redo a few recordings because of it."

"Have you had a vocal rest?"

"Nope." He shook his head. Lisa almost felt pity for him; she knows the feeling all too well. Voice problems were a serious matter, since idols are nothing without it (sad, but true). As an idol herself, she always made sure to drink tea after practices in order to keep her voice in a good condition - it works, so far. "You know how hard it is to get a proper vocal rest, especially when your comeback's near. It's physically impossible."

"Then stop talking." She told him simply. "Your vocal rest starts now."

"Hey," He called out, "Whenever we're together, vocal rest does not exist."

"Let's see about that. Tomorrow, you'll sound like a croaking frog."

He looked at her and smiled, "Darling, calm down. Don't worry. I can deal with this. I'll be fine."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say. Don't blame me, though. I already warned you."

"Although," He added, ignoring her, "Never mind."

"Tell me."

"Okay, fine. But don't laugh, okay?"

"Sure."

"I think we might not be successful this comeback." He admitted, gloomy. "I think I'm going to fail the entire group because of my voice - because it's not perfect."

Lisa kept quiet, so he continued. "Our fans are expecting a lot from us, a lot from me, since I'm the golden maknae or whatever, and I don't want to let them down. This is one of the biggest comebacks that we're going to have, especially that we're globally known now." His words were rushed, like he was speaking out every thought that came into his head, "We'll be representing the country, for God's sake, and here I am, suffering a vocal problem. I tho-"

"You're overreacting, Guk." She cut him off. "You're pressured, I know that. Everyone's watching each and everything that you do that makes you think like that and I know what that feels like. It's like they're waiting for you to make a mistake and use that against you, right?" He nodded. "But that's not the point. The point here is, if you keep thinking like that - about the negative things, you're going to fail. On the other hand, however, if you think about the positive things, then things will turn out to be positive.

"You have a vocal problem? Fine. Your voice sometimes needs a bit of rest, and that's normal for us idols. You can't expect a main vocal who sings majority of the time to have a perfect voice condition. It will go away soon, I know it. A week from now, you'd probably be singing a ballad or something for all I know. Everything you're experiencing right now will go away, trust me. Life gives us all these trials sometimes but it's not like it's going to stay forever. So, stop fussing and let's walk in peace." She finished and walked ahead, leaving him frozen on his spot.

Jeongguk stared at her in amazement. No other woman had ever talked to him like that except his mother. "You could be a motivational speaker or something."

"I was getting a headache by just listening to you." She lied, even though she was concerned for him and for herself as well. Coachella was nearing and she felt like she was going to burst in any moment. The pressure and the stress of being the first girl group to perform at Coachella was weighing down on her, and she didn't want to let hallyu down.

"That's too bad, but I suddenly felt motivated." He grinned, "Thank you, darling."

"Whatever, it's nothing." She shrugged it off.

"When will you be free again?" He asked, catching up with her. "I want to repay you back for that breakfast date but I don't know when will we be able to go out again."

"Repay my ass." Lisa rolled her eyes. "Don't mind it."

"Do you always walk home alone, darling? It's kind of creepy to be walking alone during the midnight. You need someone to come with you."

Her mouth twitched, "Sometimes. Most of the time though, our company van drives us home, so it's all good. No need to worry, Junglebook."

They passed a stairwell that made Jeongguk halt his steps. "Darling," He called out to her, "Come here."

"Don't tell me you plan to have a quickie there. You like voyeurism or something?" She glanced at the stairwell and then back to him. "What are you up to?" She asked, walking to him.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise as he pulled out a camera from inside his hoodie. Lisa stared at it, as she didn't notice it before. "Let me take a picture of you." He offered, eyes twinkling.

"For what?"

He shrugged. "Memories, I guess?" She snorted and he added, "It's not everyday I walk you home, you know."

"Whatever." She went to the stairwell and sat down. At the same movement, she removed her mask. "Make sure I look good, yeah?"

"Ready. One, two, three..." His camera flashed. Jeongguk stood straight and climbed the stairs past her, "Another one here, please." She did as she was told, this time standing up. He took two shots and when he was done, he analyzed the photos.

"Let me see." Lisa peeked on his shoulder and stared at the pictures. It came out well, and she realized she actually looked good barefaced. Huh. She never actually thought she did. "Wow."

"You know," Jeongguk started, slowly turning his face to look at her, "You're really beautiful."

Lisa couldn't stop what she said next, "Even if I'm barefaced?"

"Especially if you're barefaced."

The atmosphere got awkward which made her immediately walk away from him. "Well, whatever. Let's go."

He chuckled from behind her, "No need to get so awkward, darling. It's the truth." He quickly walked to her side and said, "I'll send these via text later, yeah?"

"Of course." She nodded and put her mask on again. They were silent for a moment until Jeongguk started humming. "Hey, vocal rest remember?"

He grimaced, "Yes, ma'am."

A few minutes later, they reached the entrance of her apartment complex, the Bamseom Apartments. The lobby seemed to be empty, except maybe a person or two.

Lalisa turned back to face him and gave him a smile. "We're here. Thank you for tonight, Guk."

"Anything for you, darling." He smiled back, "You better get going. I'm not the one who has a 5 am practice later."

She rolled her eyes, "At least I won't sound like a frog tomorrow." Lisa gave him a little wave, "Bye, Junglebook."

"Bye, darling." He took a few steps back, "I'll see you soon."

THE PHOTOS THAT JK TOOK CAN BE FOUND IN THE MEDIA.

a/n: finals tomorrow, won't be able to update for two days. :)