The energy from the stage still thrummed in the air, a stunning, amazing experience that had surprised even Alexandra with how much she loved the performance.Now, the magic was giving way to an awkward reality as they all hung out backstage, witing for ASTRAL to finish their meet-and-greet. Seo hadn’t talked to Lexi since the performance. She didn’t understand why he was so upset, but then again, neither did he.

She turned to ask him why he was in a foul mood when ASTRAL broke the silence. The five young men radiated the same undeniable energy, even off-stage.

“Did you enjoy the performance,” Jae asked in English shyly. 

“You’re going to be shy now?” Lexi asked with a small chuckle. 

One of the members of the group looked her up and down. He was taller than Jae and had an air about him. It was clear he was judging to see if she was worth Jae’s time. They were a tight knit group afterall and they had never seen him show interest in anyone. EVER. It seemed now he was unable to shut up about this woman.

“Oh? Who’s this? And how do you know our Jae here?”

“This here is Eli,” Jae said. “He’s a talker for sure.”

He nudged Jae, while talking to Lexi, “You’re cute.”

Another leaned in, curious. “Do you speak English? Or Korean?”

Her cheeks flushed a bright red, embarrassed that so many people were staring at her. However, she followed it with a confident smile, “I can speak Korean just fine.”

The group erupted into excited cheers. “Wooow!”

“Ooooooooh!!”

“She’s one of us!”

“I like her already.”

“Let me introduce you to them, since they are losing their minds,” he gave them a look, almost begging them to behave. “This is Kai, he’s a bit quiet. Then we've got Rin,” he said, pointing to the youngest in the group. He had light pink hair to match his personality. “Lastly, is Dae,” Jae said, moving aside to make room for Dae. 

Amidst the lighthearted banter, Matteo and Hana suddenly stiffened. Their eyes had locked onto Dae-sung.

Recognition flickered across Dae-sung’s face, “Oh! You’re the girl from the other night.” 

Everyone’s attention turned to Hana.

“I knew I recognized you. It’s good to see you’re doing better,” he let out a soft laugh. 

This is soooooooo embarrassing she cried internally. That's why I recognized him.

Rin elbowed him, “Wait… how do you know Miss Young?”

Dae-sung lifted his hands defensively, “It’s not like that.”

Hana, looking visibly flustered. She was the most confident person Lexi knew and now she was awkward, even avoiding Dae’s gaze. She made a mental note to ask her about this later. 

Lexi shifted her attention to the members and decided this was the time to switch to business, her favorite topic!

“How did everything hold up on stage? Were the patches functional? Did you experience any issues?”

One of them laughed. “Wow, you really are all business, aren’t you?”

Another added, “First time meeting us, and you’re already asking about our gear? Everything worked great.”

She nodded satisfied. As if getting ready to muster up a hundred more questions, Eli cut her off. 

“For every time you mention business you have to take a drink.”

Everyone seemed to agree.

“Fine, no business tonight but next time I want all of the details so I can make changes before the launch.”

“Ayyyye, drink!” 

“But–”

They all laughed as she took a small sip of her drink. After her drink she pulled Jae aside. He could tell she might be frustrated with his gesture on stage. 

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” he said, acting like he did not know what she was talking about. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” she said sternly.

“Because, I like you,” he said barely above a whisper. 

“What?” She couldn’t make out what he said. 

“Ugh because I like you!” 

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Lexi’s face lit up, but nothing could compare to Jae’s face, which was a bright scarlet.

“I meant to whisper that,” he sighed. 

“You can’t like me, you understand that right?” 

“Who says what I can or can’t like? It’s not like I can control my emotions.”

“I just don’t want to be swept up in a fantasy or attacked by a mob of your fans.” 

As conversations continued, Seo remained silent. He was watching carefully. His expression was unreadable, but it was clear, something was off.