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The backstage hall buzzed with activity, exactly as it should during a music video shoot. Staff hurried between dressing rooms carrying garment bags, makeup kits, coffees, cameras, and clipboards. Somewhere in the distance, music blasted through speakers before abruptly cutting off.

She followed Jisoo's manager through the maze of hallways, trying not to smile too much. Jisoo had absolutely no idea she was there, and if everything went according to plan, she wouldn't know until Minah was standing right in front of her.

Unfortunately, when Jisoo debuted with Flower, Minah had still been on hiatus. Back then, her days had been dictated by doctor's appointments, rehabilitation schedules, and company restrictions. She'd celebrated through phone calls and messages, watching from afar while wishing she could have been there in person.

Not this time. This time was different. A completely new chapter, and there was no chance Minah was going to miss the first page.

The manager stopped in front of the dressing room door.

"Ready?" he asked.

Minah grinned.

"Yeaaah!"

The man laughed before opening the door.

Inside, Jisoo sat in front of a vanity mirror while three stylists fussed around her. One adjusted her hair, another fixed the neckline of her outfit, and a third showed her something on a tablet.

Jisoo looked completely focused, professional, and calm, just as she always had. The sight alone made Minah feel her eyes sting. God, she was proud of her member.

She quietly stepped inside. The stylists noticed her first, and one of them immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. The cameraman recording the entire process quickly turned the camera toward Minah, who waved.

Jisoo frowned at the staff's reaction.

"What's happening?" she asked, but nobody answered.

She looked up at the mirror and froze, her eyes widened. Minah grinned and lifted both hands in a small wave.

"Hi, unnie."

"No way!" the disbelief in Jisoo's voice made the entire room burst into laughter. "What are you doing here?" she asked immediately, half-rising from her chair before remembering there were still people working on her hair.

Minah laughed and lightly slapped her shoulder.

"Yah! What kind of welcome is that, unnie?"

Jisoo looked genuinely shocked.

"No, seriously. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Minah whined. "I came to see you."

The answer was so simple that Jisoo just blinked. For some reason, that made Minah's chest tighten even more. Because it really was that simple.

This was Jisoo's first solo project outside YG. With her own new company. A fresh start. A chapter entirely hers. Of course Minah would be there.

"You're filming today," Minah continued, gesturing vaguely around the room. "I had a free afternoon. The math wasn't exactly difficult."

Jisoo laughed, finally standing despite her stylists' protests.

"Wait, wait, don't move!" one of them complained.

"I have to!" Jisoo argued.

The staff laughed as Jisoo carefully escaped their grasp and walked straight toward Minah.

The hug came naturally, just like hundreds before it. Neither dramatic nor overly emotional, just familiar. Still, Minah found herself squeezing Jisoo a little tighter than usual.

Jisoo immediately noticed and pulled back just enough to look at her.

"Oh." a smile slowly spread across her face. "Are you crying?"

"What?" Minah pulled back instantly. "No."

"Yes, you are!"

"No!"

Jisoo laughed while Minah groaned.

"Ugh, this sucks..." she muttered, quickly wiping at the corners of her eyes. "Whatever. I brought you flowers."

Minah pointed toward Jisoo's manager, who was holding a large bouquet of lilies with a handwritten letter clipped to the wrapping.

"Oh, Minah..." Jisoo's expression softened immediately as she pouted.

She carefully took the bouquet, bringing it closer to inhale the scent of her favorite flowers. Watching her, Minah finally took a proper look at her member and her chest felt so full she thought it might burst. 

Jisoo pulled her to a hug again, the bouquet between them. 

"Thank you, really." she mumbled against Minah's hair. She stepped back just enough to show Minah to the camera. "You guys, Minah made up for not visiting me during the ‘Flower’ set now being the first member to visit me on set this time." 

Minah chuckled beside her before protesting.

"Oh, come on! I still had the plaster on and I was walking around with the crutches." Minah defended herself. "But I'm here now, am I not?"

Jisoo laughed, remembering how funny it was to watch Minah get frustrated while she learned how to balance with the crutches. Eventually, they ended up decorating the aid with some stickers and strass they've found, just so Minah could be a bit more excited. 

"Minah-ssi," the cameraman called her. "do you have any words to say to Jisoo about this new era?"

Minah pouted before even answering, her chin quivering already. 

"Why are you crying again?!" Jisoo asked, playfully annoyed. "Today is a happy day!"

“Because I'm happy for you!“ Minah answered in the same tone.

Behind them, the makeup artist handed Minah a tissue, and she cleaned her tears as she mumbled a ‘thanks’.

“Hm… for Jisoo unnie,“ she recomposed herself, hugging Jisoo's waist even more. “I'm just really happy for you. I have no doubts you’re pouring your sweat, blood and tears into this. I can't even imagine that girl I met with the little beret at YG's hallways is now a whole CEO!“

The room immediately filled with amused reactions and Jisoo groaned.

"Yah! Don't bring the beret back!"

"But it's true!" Minah insisted.

"Stop crying first."

Minah ignored her.

"I mean it, though." her voice softened. "You've always worked hard, but people don't always get to see it. They only see the finished product."

Jisoo's smile faltered slightly while Minah squeezed her side as she kept her speech.

"I know how much thought you put into everything. How much you care about every little detail. How much pressure you've probably been carrying. So, seeing you here..." Minah looked around the room. "With your own company. Your own team. Your own vision."

Her eyes watered again and Jisoo covered her face, laughing.

"Oh my God, Lee Minah! Control yourself!” 

The staff burst into laughter and Minah pointed at the cameraman.

"Don't zoom in."

The camera immediately zoomed in, and the room laughed even harder.

"Anyway," Minah continued dramatically, pretending nothing had happened. "I'm proud of you."

For once, Jisoo didn't interrupt or joke. Instead, she reached over and grabbed Minah's hand.

"Thank you."

Those simple words somehow felt heavier than everything else. Minah smiled before ruining the moment. 

"But seriously, unnie. A CEO… That's a lot.”

Jisoo narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"You have meetings now." Minah started listing. "You probably have spreadsheets."

Jisoo looked suprise.

"Oh, I do have spreadsheets."

Minah gasped dramatically.

"You're kidding.” 

"I do, I swear!" Jisoo replied, sitting back down in her chair to let the staff finish their work so she could get back to filming.

"No, unnie!"

"Every week!"

"This industry has taken everything from me!" Minah clutched her chest dramatically. "Should I give you my résumé?"

The room erupted into laughter while Jisoo didn't even hesitate, looking at the girl through the mirror.

"Do you know how to use Excel?"

Minah froze.

"...No?"

"Then no." Minah was about to argument when Jisoo interrupted her. "You literally just admitted you're unqualified."

"I have seventeen years of experience, unnie!" Minah complained.

"In singing." Jisoo shot back.

"I can learn how to make some spreadsheets."

Jisoo turned toward the camera. "Please cut this part."

"No! Sir, you're suppossed to be on my side! We're going to be coworkers!" Minah pointed at the cameraman, who immediately burst out laughing.

Lay had long returned to China, his presence now existing more in memories than in schedules. Then came the situation with CBX, Baekhyun, Chen and Xiumin separating themselves from the company after months of conflict and legal disputes. And two weeks ago, just when she thought things couldn’t possibly become more unstable, Somi discovered that the manager she had trusted for years had been stealing from her.

The news had broken only two days ago. But, for the past week, she had carried the unbearable weight of a decision she never imagined herself making, Leaving SM as a solo artist while remaining part of EXO.

At first, the guilt consumed her. How could she make a choice like that right before the tour they had waited years for? How could she bring more uncertainty to a group already held together by sheer love and persistence?

But the members never let her carry it alone. Every single one of them stood beside her without hesitation, telling her the same thing over and over until she finally started believing it herself. 

“We’re with you no matter what.” they said multiple times.

Still, she hated how everything unfolded. Hated the headlines, hated the pity in people’s voices, hated how something so personal became public before she even had time to process it herself and hated how people reduced years of hard work to discussions about her romantic life. 

So she avoided the subject whenever she could. But tonight, standing under the fading stadium lights as the final notes echoed through the venue, she realized there was no avoiding it anymore.

The lights dimmed slowly around them while the members gathered at the center of the stage for the ending ment. Instinctively, they settled into their rehearsed positions. Somi in the middle with Kai, D.O. and Chanyeol to her left and Suho and Sehun to her right.

“EXO-L!” Kai called out, making the fans scream back. “Are you still with us?” 

“YES!” the fans screamed back loud enough to shake the venue.

Kai laughed breathlessly, placing a hand over his chest. “Wow… you guys are seriously loud!”

“Only now you noticed?” Chanyeol cut in, earning another wave of cheers.

Kai pointed accusingly toward the crowd.

“No, but today feels different! I think everyone missed us too much.”

“We missed them too much!” Sehun muttered beside him.

“We did!” Kai answered immediately, without embarrassment. “We were suffering.”

The fans screamed louder at that.

“Honestly,” Chanyeol said, stepping forward slightly. “we were all really nervous before today.”

“Speak for yourself.” Sehun said.

“You were nervous too.” Chanyeol pointed at his member. 

“I was calm.” Sehun shrugged.

“You checked your mic pack six times, oppa.” Somi mumbled.

“That’s professionalism.”

D.O. quietly shook his head, smiling to himself while the members continued bickering. Suho finally lifted his microphone with the kind of fond exasperation only he could manage after over a decade leading them.

“It’s our first concert after such a long time.” he said softly, the crowd immediately calming to listen. “And seeing all of you here again… really.” he paused briefly, looking around the stadium. “It reminded me why we endured all those years apart.”

The crowd answered with another emotional roar.

Somi was already tearing up again. She understood that she needed to finally discuss the difficult, unaddressed matter.

“Oh, no.” Kai sighed dramatically. “She started.”

“I’m not crying!” Somi protested while very visibly crying.

“You literally are.” Chanyeol laughed.

Somi smiled automatically at the familiar chaos unfolding around her, though her fingers tightened slightly around the microphone resting in her hands.

“We practiced really hard for this tour.” D.O. added calmly once the noise settled a bit. “We wanted to show a good stage after making everyone wait for so long.”

“And did we do well?” Chanyeol shouted immediately, turning his mic to the crowd. The fans screamed so loudly that even the idols flinched slightly. “Okay, okay. Good answer.” he laughed.

Kai suddenly turned toward Somi, nudging her shoulder lightly.

“Somi worked the hardest, though.”

The crowd instantly cheered louder at her name. She blinked, caught off guard.

“Why are you dragging me into this?”

“Because it’s true!” Kai said simply.

“Yeah, he’s right!” Suho agreed. “She was always the first one in the practice room.”

“And the last one to leave!” D.O. continued.

Somi shook her head immediately, already embarrassed.

“Stop. Don’t do this.”

“No, seriously.” Chanyeol insisted. “There were days where we’d leave and she’d still be there practicing alone.”

“She’d send us videos at like three in the morning.” Sehun added, smiling faintly. “Like some ghost. ‘Hun-ah, look at what I imagined for Love Shot’” he mimicked her. 

The fans laughed softly. Somi looked down briefly, trying to hide the way her throat tightened.

“It’s because she missed us too.” Kai said dramatically, suddenly hugging her from the side.

“I hate you.” she muttered instantly against his chest, making the audience laugh again.

“No, you don’t.”

Unfortunately, he was right. Suho glanced at her then. A small look, gentle, careful. The kind that silently asked if she was okay. Somi inhaled slowly before forcing another smile onto her face.

The arena was still glowing silver. Thousands of EXO-Ls watching them with so much love it almost hurt. Then Chanyeol suddenly pointed toward her microphone.

Immediately, the crowd started screaming again.

“SOMI! SOMI! SOMI!” 

Kai grinned beside her.

“Looks like it’s your turn.” he said out of the mic, making her immediately elbow him lightly in the ribs. 

Kai let out an offended gasp anyway, dramatically clutching his side while the fans laughed at the interaction without fully knowing what had been said. Somi smiled softly before lowering her eyes for a brief moment.

“First,” she stared quietly, voice slightly shaking. “I would like to thank everyone for your patience and for respecting my time in silence. I truly needed the time to process everything, to face all the emotions that came at once… and, more than anything, to prepare myself to stand on stage again with my members for the EXhOrizon concerts because I really missed you guys.”

The arena erupted instantly. She laughed weakly through it, shaking her head a little as if overwhelmed by the noise.

“No, really.” she continued once it settled slightly. “I think… I missed this more than I realized.”

Her voice wavered at the end of the sentence. Beside her, Suho subtly shifted closer.

Somi inhaled carefully before continuing.

“A lot happened while we were apart.” she smiled faintly while glancing at her members. “And honestly, there were moments I wondered if this day would feel different. However, I’m going to take a bit longer than I normally would for this, because I think there are some matters we need to discuss.” Somi announced, smiling in a flat line. 

The members went quiet beside her.

“As you might know, I’m not part of SM Entertainment as an artist anymore.” Somi said that for the first time out loud, and reality hit her. The crowd immediately reacted, thousands of disappointed whines and worried screams echoing through the venue at once. “I know, I know. Calm down.” she said quickly, lifting a hand with a small nervous laugh. 

Chanyeol looked at her from the side, eyes already glassy.

Somi glanced down briefly before continuing.

“To be honest…” she cleared her throat. “This wasn’t something I ever imagined happening.” her fingers tightened slightly around her golden microphone. “I spent almost eighteen years of my life there. I grew up there. I learned everything there.”

Her voice softened more.

“And, if I had to go through everything just to be standing on this stage again, with my members, I would.”

Suho lowered his head slightly beside her, listening carefully.

“But,” she hissed, visibly searching for the right words. “sometimes life forces you to make decisions you never prepared yourself for.”

The stadium remained completely silent now. Even the members weren’t moving.

“I found out recently that someone I trusted for a very long time was hurting me financially behind my back.” she smiled faintly again, but this time it looked tired. “And after a lot of discussions, meetings, crying,” the crowd laughed softly through the tension “and talking with the people I love, I decided leaving as a solo artist was the best thing for me.”

Her throat tightened immediately after saying it.

“I need everyone here to understand something very clearly. Leaving the company does not mean I’m leaving EXO.”

The reaction was instant. The stadium exploded with screaming and crying with fans jumping in place while silver lightsticks shook violently across the venue. Beside her, even though all of them already knew about it, Chanyeol physically exhaled in relief like he had been holding his breath the entire speech.

Kai wiped under his eyes again.

Sehun smiled openly this time.

And Suho looked at her with an expression so full of quiet pride it almost made her break.

“I would never make a choice that could harm this group lightly.” Somi continued once the noise lowered enough. “Never.” 

Her eyes moved toward the members beside her one by one.

“Guys,” she said, looking at her members now. Kai immediately started crying harder. “I turned into the woman I am today because of you. You really raised me so well and I’m really thankful for this. I’ll always be that 15-years-old girl, who was too scared of anything, always hiding behind your backs to not answer any questions.”

“Oh, my god.” Sehun muttered, laughing helplessly while having flashbacks of their early debut days.

“All these years, I waited to stand on stage together with you again just so I could have this feeling of being the ‘maknae’. Just having fun and being genuinely happy.” she looked at Suho, who sobbed. “Oh, oppa. Stop it. You’re going to make me cry even harder.”

“We’re all crying!” Kai sobbed dramatically, making the fans laugh and cry at the same time.

Somi laughed weakly through her tears, quickly wiping under her eyes before taking another shaky breath.

“No, because seriously.” she continued, voice trembling slightly now. “There were so many moments during the enlistment period where I was terrified.”

The stadium quieted again immediately.

“I kept thinking…” she swallowed hard. “‘What if people move on from us?’” several fans instantly yelled back in protest. “No, listen!” she laughed softly through tears. “I know now, okay? But back then, I was really scared.”

Beside her, Chanyeol lowered his head briefly, already emotional again.

“So I worked really hard.” Somi smiled faintly. “Maybe too hard sometimes.”

“You won a grammy.” D.O. said quietly beside her for the first time in a while.

The honesty in his voice made the crowd react immediately.

Somi glanced at him with a small laugh.

“I remember calling Suho oppa in the middle of the night once because I dreamed EXO disbanded.”

The crowd collectively whined again.

“Oh my god, don’t remind me.” Suho said, laughing through tears while covering his face briefly. “She was crying so hard I thought something terrible had happened.”

“It was terrible to me!” Somi explained herself, laughing while some tears kept falling. “I think that a part of me spent those years trying to keep EXO alive as much as I could while the members were away because this group saved me too and for that I’ll always be really, really thankful.”

There was this heavy and emotional silence. 

“I think there’s something we never said out loud.” Suho suddenly said, making Somi and the other members look at him. He looks at the crowd, then back at the members, then finally at her. “When we started enlisting, we all had the same worry. Not about ourselves, but about the group. We wondered what would happen to the group while we were gone… if things would slow down, if people would forget us, if we would come back and have to start over.” he exhales softly, his gaze shifting back to Somi. “But at some point, we stopped worrying because we had Somi.”

The words are simple, but they hit Somi in ways she didn’t expect. The turned her back at the fans, trying to hide how much she was crying, while she sobbed. 

“We knew that no matter where we were, no matter how far, EXO wouldn’t disappear because Somi was here.” he sighed. “She didn’t just stay, but she carried us. And because of that we never felt EXO was incomplete.” 

The whole stadium seemed to be crying by now. Kai let out another broken sound somewhere behind them, while Chanyeol looked down, nodding his head slightly and Sehun’s expression tightened just a little.

D.O got closer to Somi, caressing her shoulders, trying to calm her down. 

Suho continued, softer now.

“Somi-ah,” he called her. She looked at her leader. “you’ll forever be EXO’s backbone.”

Somi shook her head as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Suho tightly. The crowd erupted again immediately, crying louder as the leader instinctively held her against him, one hand moving carefully to the back of her head while the other rubbed slowly against her back.

Somi buried her face against his shoulder, laughing weakly between sobs.

“You’re really trying to ruin my makeup right now.” she complained.

“You were already crying before me.” he argued softly.

That made the members laugh through tears.

“Why is this so sad?” Kai whined dramatically, making the fans and his members laugh. 

The fans’ screams slowly softened again into emotional sniffles and scattered calls of:

“WE LOVE YOU!” 

“EXO FOREVER!” 

“DON’T CRY!”

Somi finally pulled back from Suho after a few seconds, though she still kept one hand clutching his sleeve like she needed grounding. Her eyes were completely red now.

“This is so embarrassing.” she laughed weakly while wiping under them.

The crowd laughed again through tears.

Kai suddenly stepped forward dramatically, opening his arms.

“Come here. Group hug.”

“Oh my god.” Sehun sighed.

But none of them refused. They never really did when it came to each other. Somi lowered her head for a second, laughing shakily as more tears slipped down.

“We really went through a lot, huh?” she whispered.

Kai made another broken sound immediately.

“Don’t start again, Choi Somi.”

That made everyone laugh. Even the fans.

Somi wiped under her eyes one more time before finally looking back toward the crowd.

She mumbled a quick 'thanks' and handed him her keys, fingers brushing lightly against the cold metal before letting go. She wasted no time entering the restaurant before any curious eyes could spot her, pulling her cap down slightly as she walked past the glass doors. 

Stopping at the reception hall, she hoped the receptionist could see her smile under the mask.

"Hi." she greeted. "I have a reservation. It’s under the name Lee Joo-heon."

The woman seemed rather unbothered by the whole situation, which made Moon relax a little as she checked something on the monitor. She gestured to the side, and a security guard stepped closer.

"Mr. Park will take you to the VIP area." she said simply, offering a polite smile. "Hope you have a great night."

Moon nodded lightly, following the guard through the most reserved part of the restaurant. The noise faded the further they walked, conversations turning into a distant murmur, the lighting softer, more controlled.

As soon as he opened the frosted glass door and stepped aside so Moon could enter, she recognized Jooheon’s back immediately.  And that reminded her of the whole reason she was there.

After Seonghwa’s advice in her studio, she took some time to really think about what to do next, and the reality was simple: she was running out of time and was desperate for help, while Jooheon seemed willing to give it.

It hadn’t taken more than a few rings for him to pick up her call, with that same charisma as always, asking how he could help. He had led most of the conversation, which made things much easier for Moon, and, after almost twenty minutes on the phone, they decided to meet and, as always, he said he had just the perfect place for that.

She took a small breath before stepping fully into the room.

Jooheon didn’t turn around immediately. He was sitting relaxed, one arm resting on the table, a glass of wine in his hand like he had been there long enough to get comfortable.

As she got closer, he finally turned around. 

"Eunji! You came!" Jooheon smiled, as he got up, his tone warm, almost too natural for someone she had only met once. 

"You asked!" she answered, scoffing lightly, trying to match his mood. 

That answer made him smile, even if just a little more contained, like he was holding something back. He pulled the chair out for her without making it a big deal, almost like a habit. Moon hesitated at first before sitting down. 

"It's fancy in here." she said, glancing around the room as she took her jacket off, placing it neatly on the back of her chair.

Jooheon shrugged, sitting across from her.

"An important place for an important meeting, right?" 

Moon leaned back slightly, crossing her legs under the table. Gosh, she hated how dumb she would get around him while he had done absolutely nothing but be a great senior. 

"Yeah, sure." she agreed.

A waiter appeared almost instantly, pouring water, setting things in place, disappearing just as quickly, like he had been waiting for a signal neither of them noticed. 

"So, tell me." he said, genuinely curious. "About your day, first." 

Moon blinked at him, a little caught off guard. 

"My day?" she repeated. 

Jooheon nodded, resting his arm against the table again, more relaxed now, like he wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere.

"We have time." he said simply.

Moon looked down at her glass, fingers brushing lightly against the rim as she thought for a second longer than she usually would.

"It was normal, I guess." she started, a bit vague. "Schedules, rehearsals… nothing special."

Jooheon tilted his head slightly.

"That’s not true." he shot, making her look up at him. 

"It is."

"No," he insisted, calm. "you're looking like you're thinking too much for someone who had a normal day." 

That threw her off more than she expected. Moon let out a small breath, leaning back again as she looked away for a moment, pressing her lips together. 

"I always think too much. I have ADHD." she said before she could stop herself. Moon blinked, almost like she had just heard herself say it out loud for the first time. "Sorry, that came out at the worst moment." she added. 

Jooheon giggled, not in a bad way, but as he was also taken off guard, his shoulders relaxing a little. She also tried to laugh it off as reached for her glass, taking a small sip of water, buying herself a second, her eyes avoiding his for a moment too long. 

"Okay," she said finally, placing the glass back down. "I was in the studio." 

Jooheon nodded, like he expected that.

"Oh, really? Did you work on something?" 

Moon sighed. 

"I’ve worked on many things, oppa." she answered. "But nothing really seems to fit, and I’m running out of time."

"Does your company not have their own producers?" he asked. "Why aren’t you asking them for help?"

"I want to make something that looks like me." she said. "I don’t think they’d be able to understand that."

Jooheon didn’t answer immediately. He just watched her for a second, like he was trying to understand what she meant beyond the words.

"And you think I would?" he asked, calm, not defensive.

"I think you’d try." she admitted. "I just don’t want it to sound like something that could’ve been given to anyone else. I don't want it to sound too safe." 

Jooheon nodded once, not arguing with that.

"Okay, then." he said simply, leaning closer. "Play me what you have."

Moon didn’t hesitate this time. She unlocked her phone and pressed play, sliding it across the table so he could hear it clearly.

The track started with a clean instrumental, a heavy bass Moon had sampled from a random sound. Jooheon noticed it immediately, but he didn’t interrupt. He listened attentively, bopping his head slightly to the beat, fingers tapping once against the table in rhythm.

By the time it ended, he had already reached for the phone, dragging the timeline back.

"Again." he muttered, more to himself than to her.

Moon stayed quiet, watching him work through it, studying his reactions more than the track itself. He replayed the pre-chorus. Paused. Replayed it again. At that point, Moon had already finished her water, fingers lightly tapping against the empty glass. 

"Why does this build drop like that?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

"I wanted the chorus to hit cleaner." she explained.

"It does hit clean. Too clean, actually." he mentioned. 

Moon frowned at his comment, but decided to let him finish, biting the inside of her cheek. 

Once the demo was over, he handed her phone back. 

"You’re solving it too early, Eunji." he pointed it out. "You’re giving the listener exactly what they expect before even getting to the chorus."

Moon stared at her phone for a while before looking up. 

"Should it delete this?" she asked, genuinely. 

Jooheon laughed at her reaction, waving his hand.

"That’s not that extreme." he told her. "We can work on this. But I need you to be clearer about the whole concept you’re going for. So far, it seems pretty much the same as every other solo." 

Moon took a big, deep breath.

"I don't want to make what people already expect from me." she told him. "I don't want to make something cute, but I also don't want to make a whole song where people listen and think about ATEEZ right away. That's why I really wanted to just step out of this huge bubble I'm on right now."

Jooheon nodded, paying attention to every single detail about her. 

"Then stop thinking about what they’ll hear. Start thinking about what you want to say. Doesn't really matter if it’s what people are expecting or not. At the end of the day, you’re the one working for it." he said. 

Moon let out a weak giggle. 

"But that's kinda part of our job, no?" she asked. 

"It is." he agreed. "But that's not where you start it." 

Moon groaned, hiding her face with her hands. She was starting to regret all of that. 

"I feel like I’m going insane." she admitted, looking at him with a defeated expression. "Seriously. I don't want to do this."

Jooheon laughed at her reaction, leaning forward and brushing his hand lightly over her arm in an affectionate way that made Moon freeze for a second.

"Calm down." he told her, looking at her in the most endearing way Moon has ever seen someone looking at her. "I’m going to help you with that, but not today. Today we’re here to eat some good food and for you to tell me more about you." he said.

There was a small pause while Moon tried to process what he said. 

"For professional reasons, of course." he added, making Moon blush. 

She slowly lowered her hands, staring at him. 

"Of course." she repeated. 

Jooheon held her gaze for a second, then looked away first, reaching for his glass like nothing had happened. Moon narrowed her eyes slightly. 

"You say that to all your collaborations?"

He let out a small laugh, answering a bit too quickly. 

"No.  But I mean it. I need to know how you think if I’m going to work with you." 

She tilted her head. 

"That sounds like an excuse."

"Well, maybe it is." he admitted. 

A waiter approached just then, breaking their moment and Moon’s chance to say anything back, asking if they were ready to order. Jooheon gestured lightly towards her.

"Ladies first, please." he said. 

Moon picked up the menu, pretending to read it even though she hadn’t really looked at a single line since she arrived, her mind somewhere between keeping that whole meeting professional or leaning into something else entirely.

She looked up at Jooheon over the menu.

"What exactly do want to know?" she asked, arching her left eyebrow. 

Jooheon rested his arm back on the table, watching her. 

"Everything that would affect your music." he said. 

Moon scoffed softly. 

"Then you better order first." she suggested. 

Jooheon smiled. A side smile, quiet, satisfied.

The girl was starting to get in a very good and cozy nap before getting interrupted by one of her members.

"Moon,” she hummed, recognising Yunho’s voice. “what are you going to do if we win first place today?" he asked her. 

She opened one of her eyes as the makeup artist smoked the eyeshadow on the other one. 

"I’m going to be really happy…?" she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The staff laughed at her honesty while Yunho whined.

"No!" he complained. "What’s your promise?"

"Promise? I didn’t make one, actually." she replied.

Moon was always rational when it came to broadcast shows. The reality was easier to face: they needed Korean fans to vote, and with the group starting to grow more internationally than domestically, it was hard to believe they were even close to winning something like M Countdown.

However, all the way to the station, the boys had been talking about their promises. Wooyoung promised to learn English, Yunho said he wouldn’t swear ever again. All of them were confident enough to make Moon worry about her own promise, or something like that. 

"What do you mean you didn’t?" Yunho asked, genuinely offended. "You have to!"

Moon finally opened both eyes, blinking a few times as the makeup artist stepped back to check her work.

"Why, though?" she asked simply.

Yunho stared at her like she had just broken a sacred rule.

"Because that’s what people do!" he insisted, camera still pointed at her. "You have to promise something embarrassing or fun or, I don’t know, just something!"

Moon pointed at him and giggled.

"You don’t even know what you’re talking about, oppa." she said, her tone calm, almost too calm for how chaotic the room was.

The makeup artist giggled at her comment, tapping Moon’s shoulder to signal she was done. Moon stood up, stretching her arms.

From behind, Wooyoung leaned over Yunho’s shoulder, already invested.

"That’s boring, Eunji." he complained. "You can just do something small. Like… I don’t know, cut your bangs."

Moon looked at him with a flat expression.

"Why would I punish myself for something we didn’t win yet?"

Wooyoung, who had just cutted bangs, gasped. "Punish? Bangs are not a punishment."

"They would be on me." she shot back.

Yunho groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face.

"Moon, you’re ruining the spirit of this."

"I’m being realistic, oppa." she replied, reaching for her phone before her manager gently pushed her hand down.

"It’s almost your turn." he said softly.

Both Yunho and Wooyoung laughed at her startled expression.

"See?" Moon pointed lightly. "This is already enough suffering for today."

The boys laughed again. From the couch, San chimed in, half distracted while fixing his mic.

"Moon," he called. "just say you’ll do something if we win. It doesn’t even matter what."

"It does matter!" Moon insisted. "People remember these things."

"Exactly!" Yunho said, hopeful again.

"No, that’s exactly why I’m not saying anything stupid." she corrected, turning around to get her own mic fixed, clearly trying to end the conversation. 

From the side, Seonghwa, who paid attention to the topic, joined in.

"Then make a promise you can keep." he said, shrugging. 

"Like what?" she asked, frowning.

"Something small. Something that doesn’t depend on winning… but still means something."

Moon paused , then turned around, sitting on the small couch, pointing at the camera still recording.

"Alright!" she said. "Atiny, if we win, I’m dyeing my hair for our next comeback."

The people who had been listening burst out laughing.

"Whoa!" Yunho exclaimed, surprised. "That’s your ‘simple’ promise?"

Moon blinked at him, shrugging lightly like she hadn’t just dropped something huge.

"Yeah!" she defended. "Hair grows back."

San laughed from the couch.

"You’re actually doing it?" he asked, leaning forward now, fully invested.

Moon crossed her legs, nodding once.

"Yeah, guys." she laughed. "Why wouldn't I?"

Yunho stared at her for a second longer, then turned the camera back to himself dramatically.

"You all saw that, Atiny!" he said. "This is official. No backing out."

"Ya! I never back out." Moon replied immediately.

Wooyoung scoffed, dropping onto the couch beside her.

"You didn’t even want to make a promise five minutes ago."

"That was before." Moon said, waving him off. "Now I made a good one."

"Good?" Seonghwa repeated. “You’re changing your hair. That’s more than just good.”

"Well," she said, standing up again as her name was called from the other side of the dressing room, "guess we’ll see if I actually have to do it."

Yunho followed right behind her, camera still rolling.

"We are winning today, Moon-ie!" he insisted.

Moon didn’t answer this time, she just smiled a little. Not because she believed it, but because they did, and she didn’t want to be rude about it.

She followed the schedule as it was meant to be. They went on stage around two times before the actual recording began and, after that, all they had to do was wait until all the performances from the other groups were shown so they could go back on stage to see who was that week’s #1.

They had done that enough times now, or at least enough for Moon to develop the incredible ability to sleep in whatever corner she had available. So, when they got back to their dressing room, she quickly found a place behind a clothing rack where their outfits had been hanging earlier and did what she could do, she took a nap.

Around one hour later, Seonghwa woke her up, the staff quickly fixing her outfit, hair and makeup before ATEEZ were finally on stage together with the other idols promoting that day. They were asked to stand up front, as they had the most viewed performance and were competing against Davichi, who didn’t show up. 

"So, we’re back to find out who’s the winner!" the MC said. "Let’s take a look at the results."

Moon looked at the small display screen behind the audience as Yunho grabbed her hand even tighter.

"First, these are the points from digital sales." the other MC said.

ATEEZ had 0, which made Moon nod, a bit disappointed.

"Points from physical album sales." ATEEZ had 1500 versus 0.

"Points from global fan voting." ATEEZ had 1000 versus 7.

"Points from social media." ATEEZ had 1212 versus 456.

"Points from the MNET broadcast." ATEEZ had 770 versus 80.

At that point, while mentally doing the math, Moon was already sweating, trying to keep it cool so she wouldn’t scare her members.

"Finally, the winner, with the highest score combined with the live text voting, is…"

The MCs built suspense as the numbers were being added, and with around 200 more votes, Moon’s calculations were right: ATEEZ was the winner. 

"ATEEZ!" the MCS announced. "Congratulations!"

There were a mix of reactions. Mingi let out a loud ‘whoa’, while San stepped back. Yunho and Jongho both let go of Moon’s arms to hide their opened mouth while Hongjoong quickly composed himself to give the speech. 

For a split second, Moon didn’t react. She just stared at the screen, like she was waiting for the numbers to change or correct themselves. Yunho’s grip on her hand tightened, as if it was calling for her attention and that’s when it hit her. 

Moon blinked, finally turning her head to look at him.

"We won." she said, almost under her breath. Wooyoung turned to her immediately, eyes wide.

They tried to keep it cool while Hongjoong gave his speech, thanking everyone involved in their careers so far. She barely had time to process it before the instrumental of Wave started, voices overlapping, hands everywhere, someone laughing, someone almost crying.

Moon stood there for a second in the middle of it all, stiff, like her body hadn’t caught up yet.

Then slowly, she pulled back. Not completely, just enough to look around. Her eyes moved quickly across the stage. San. Yunho. Wooyoung. Mingi. Jongho. Seonghwa. She frowned slightly.

"Where’s Hongjoong oppa?" she asked her members, but no one answered. They were still too caught up in the moment, still processing, still celebrating.

She turned around, scanning the stage more carefully now, ignoring the cameras, the staff trying to guide them and then she saw him. 

Hongjoong had stepped back, standing on the other side of the stage, just enough to not be in the center of it all. His head was slightly lowered, one hand covering part of his face, shoulders rising and falling like he was trying to steady himself.

Moon didn’t hesitate. She walked straight to him.

Feeling her presence, he turned around, already pulling her into a hug that didn’t need anything else.

"Oppa! We won!" she said against his hair.

Hongjoong let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh as they slowly pulled away.

"We did it, Moon-ie!"

They barely had a second to breathe before the moment was gone.

"YA!" Wooyoung’s voice cut through everything as he ran toward them, followed by the rest of the boys. "Why are you two hiding over here?!"

Before either of them could react, they were pulled back into the chaos.

Arms everywhere again, Yunho grabbing Hongjoong from one side, San crashing into them without warning, Mingi laughing too loud, Jongho trying to hold the trophy steady while Seonghwa attempted to keep everyone from falling over.

"WE WON!" Yunho repeated, like saying it out loud would make it more real.

"I told you!" San added, still half-laughing, half-breathless.

Wooyoung looked straight at Moon, eyes narrowing immediately.

"And you," he pointed at her accusingly, "you’re dyeing your hair."

Moon groaned, already dragging a hand down her face.

"Can we celebrate first?"

"This is the celebration!" Mingi cut in. 

Jongho nodded seriously from the side. "We’ll help you pick the color."

"That’s not helping." she replied instantly.

They laughed again, louder this time, the tension finally breaking into something lighter, something easier.

Hongjoong, still standing close to her, nudged her shoulder gently.

"You said you don’t back out." he reminded her quietly.

Moon glanced at him, then at the rest of them, still loud, still messy, still trying to process something they hadn’t allowed themselves to expect.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was a smile there now.

"Fine." she gave in. "But if it looks bad, I’m blaming all of you."

"Deal!" Wooyoung said immediately.

Her eyes flickered to the small digital clock sitting behind the monitor, feeling way more stressed when she realised she was there over ten hours and had almost zero progress on her production. Her stomach dropped. 

"Please, help me." she mumbled under her breath, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling. 

All she wanted was to go home. 

When the company first gave her the green light to start producing for her solo debut, Moon was excited. Nervous too, but, yet, excited. She thought she was ready. But, in the reality, she wasn’t. Not for this. 

The studio was filled with a lot of versions. Dozens of demos sat open across her screen, some files dated from years ago, some from late-night sessions with the boys, some recorded in between schedules when inspiration hit out of nowhere.

There were some fragments of melodies, half-written lyrics, random beats that once felt like something. Some of them were good. Some of them were really good. But none of them felt right.

Moon reached for her phone again, fingers hovering over the screen as she fought the urge to call one of the boys and beg them to come help her, but they had been clear: they were stepping back and letting this be hers.

She knew they were doing it to help her. After all these years, it was safe to admit Moon had grown used to them being part of everything she did. From the smallest things to the biggest decisions. They were always there.

Photoshoots? One of them would show up, uninvited, just to sit around and make comments. Writing sessions? Mingi and Hongjoong were practically guaranteed to be there, throwing ideas, arguing over details. Even after moving out, it was rare for a day to pass without one of them dropping by, even if it was just to bother her, eat her food, or sit around until she gave up and went to sleep, leaving them behind like it was still their place.

Deep down, she knew it was time to step out of that comfort and do something on her own. To prove to herself more than anyone that she could. But why was it so hard? 

Moon stared at the phone for some seconds before dropping it to the sound table with a soft thud. She let out a shake breath, pressing her lips together as her vision burned. 

"No." she whispered to herself. "Not now." 

Her chest tightened. It was stupid, she knew it was. She wasn’t injured, in trouble, no one was yelling at her. Yet, her throat closed like she was. 

She shoved her pink chair back and stood up fast, like maybe moving would get rid of the feeling. She started jumping, trying to shake it off.

The door clicked open and Moon froze. 

"Eunji-nah." she heard Seonghwa. 

Moon exhaled slowly, dropping her hands and trying to look as if she wasn’t just jumping alone seconds before he entered. 

"I’m working, oppa." she said, her voice steady. 

"I can see that." he answered, with that one she hated. "You’ve been here all day."

"I’m fine." she answered, sitting back on the chair. Moon clenched her jaw. 

"You don’t have to do this all alone." Seonghwa replied. . 

Moon let out a small, frustrated laugh, shaking her head.

"I do, actually." she said, voice low. "That’s kind of the whole point, remember?"

Seonghwa leaned lightly against the desk beside her.

"Doing something on your own doesn’t mean you have to suffer through it."

"This is so stupid." she muttered, finally looking at him for the first time since he walked in . "I’ve done harder things than this."

"I know." he said.

That only made her chest tighten more.

"I don’t want to do this alone." she admitted, voice small now, hiding her face in her hands. 

Seonghwa sighed softly, pulling a chair from across the room and dragging it closer before sitting beside her.

"And how do you expect to get out of where you are right now?" he asked, turning slightly toward her. "You’ve done this before, Eunji. Didn’t you like MoonBee?"

Moon groaned, rolling her eyes.

"That was a one week promotional situation." she said, trying to make him understand. "It’s not the same. And you guys refusing to at least do a collab with me makes it even worse."

Seonghwa let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head at how dramatic she sounded.

"We’re not refusing, Moon." he said gently. "We’re just stepping back."

Moon didn’t look convinced.

"This is your chance." he continued. "All those ideas you throw at us every comeback? This is where they belong."

The girl stayed quiet, only looking at her member. 

"We all know how talented you are." he added. "And we also know how much you hold back when you’re on stage with us. Now you don’t have to. You can actually leave your mark, not just as ‘Moon from ATEEZ’… but just Moon."

The room fell quiet for a second.

Then Seonghwa tilted his head slightly, like he had just remembered something.

"Like, that one song you always talk about." he added. "The one you say you hate men… what was it called again?"

Moon let out a small laugh despite herself.

"Manchild." she said.

Seonghwa giggled too.

"Yeah." he nodded. "That one."

"I’m not releasing that." Moon replied immediately. "Can you imagine?" she leaned back, already picturing it. "Me going out there and calling men stupid, slow, useless… and manchild?" she scoffed, shaking her head "I’d be cancelled. Again."

Seonghwa laughed, covering his mouth briefly as he pictured it too.

"Yeah… the industry wouldn’t survive that one." he admitted.

Moon rolled her eyes, but there was a tired edge to it now.

"I don’t have the energy to fight everyone again." she muttered.

The room went quiet for a second. Seonghwa’s smile softened.

"Well," he said, shrugging lightly. "we’d still be your fans. Loud ones, by the way."

Moon glanced at him, lips twitching into a faint smile.

"Really?"

"Absolutely!" he nodded. "Front row. Probably getting dragged online with you."

She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head.

"Idiots."

Seonghwa watched her for a second longer, the small smile still there, but softer now, as if he was thinking. 

"Didn’t Eden hyung say Jooheon sunbaenim wanted to collaborate with you?"

Moon blinked. She shifted slightly in her chair. 

"Yeah, he did."

Seonghwa nodded once, too casual. 

"Then call him."

Moon stared at him. 

"What?"

"Call him." Seonghwa repeated, like it was the most obvious solution in the world.

She let out a short, disbelieving laugh. 

"You’re kidding, oppa." Moon shook her head. "No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t even know him like that. He was just gentle with me." she gestured, vaguely. 

"You guys talked at Eden’s party." he pointed it out. 

"That doesn’t count." she shot back. 

"He gave you feedback on your music."

Moon pressed her lips together. That was true.

"That’s different." she insisted, waving it off. "That was casual. This is work."

Seonghwa leaned back slightly, arms crossing.

"Well, I tried." he said, pushing himself up with a sigh. "We’re ordering some pizza. Can we eat it at your house?"

Moon let out a small laugh, nodding.

"Yeah, sure." she said.

Seonghwa hummed, already heading toward the door.

"You’ve got ten minutes, then." he added over his shoulder. "Wooyoung’s about to start eating the walls."

Moon snorted, shaking her head.

"Tell him I’m not responsible if he dies before the pizza arrives."

According to insiders, the project had been in preparation for months, largely kept under wraps while ATEEZ continued group activities.

However, what is drawing the most attention is not just the timing, but the creative direction behind the album.

Unlike fans expected, MOONRISE was developed without direct vocal participation from ATEEZ members. Sources close to the production stated:

“The members made a deliberate decision not to feature on the album. They wanted the project to stand entirely on Moon’s identity as an artist.”

Despite this, the group was reportedly actively involved behind the scenes, contributing to arrangement discussions, vocal direction, and overall creative development.

Another detail quickly caught attention among fans: MONSTA X's JOOHEON is credited not only as a featured artist, but also as a co-producer on the album. According to a source familiar with the project:

“Honey participated beyond a typical feature. He was involved in shaping the sound of at least one track and provided creative input during recording sessions.”

The two are said to have first connected through industry producers, later continuing collaboration in private studio sessions. Moon was also a surprise featured on the rapper latest released single, "Push", later 2025.

The EP is described as "minimalistic but intense, focused on control and identity, centered on Moon’s artistic independence". The title track, "Dirty Work", is said to be a "gritty, rap-driven hip-hop tune expressing the eagerness to do absolute best and thrive as a result while avoiding unfaithful people, breaking standards along with facing the unexpected", showing Moon's full idol potential.

Industry observers also point out the timing of Moon’s debut. With ATEEZ members expected to approach enlistment in the near future, MOONRISE may serve as a transition point for the group’s activities.

Then, the image finally came into focus and Jade appeared on screen.

She was wearing an oversized black shirt, her hair tied up in a messy bun, strands falling loosely around her face. Beside her, the girl fans quickly recognized as Somi was dressed in a Victoria’s Secret pajama set, sleeves rolled up, her freshly dyed red hair falling naturally over her shoulders.

"Oh, my." Somi mumbled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Do you really do this out of nowhere?"

"Yes!" Jade confirmed, tapping something on the screen. "International fans love it, unnie."

"Oh…" Somi trailed off, nodding slowly as she glanced at the phone. "I see it. This is still weird, though. It’s almost three in the morning." 

"Okay!" Jade suddenly clapped, immediately switching into idol mode. The hearts on the screen started flying up faster as she spoke. "Everyone, I’m here with the one and only, Choi Somi!" 

"Uhuuul!" Somi cheered sarcastically, waving at the camera. The comments exploded almost instantly as fans from all over the world flooded in the comments. "Hello, guys."

Jade leaned closer, squinting slightly, her thumb tapping impatiently against the phone as the comments moved too fast.

"'Are you drunk?' No! We’re not!" she laughed.

Somi raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. They clearly were. 

"I’m visiting Somi in L.A., and we ran out of things to do." Jade continued, still smiling.

Well… that was only half true.

Jade was visiting Somi at her new place in L.A. while TWICE had a few days off before heading into the second leg of their tour. Somi, on the other hand, would soon be flying back to Korea to start EXO’s tour. But they had not run out of things to do. They were just drunk. 

Actually, Somi was. Jade had only had a couple of beers, while Somi had finished nearly an entire bottle of wine as she updated her on everything going on in her life, the kind of things that couldn’t be said over text, or at least not without sending a hundred messages.

The conversation had started with Somi talking about her suspicion that her manager might be scamming her. Then it shifted to Jade’s upcoming projects, her official solo debut, the pressure building around it. Then back again to the gossips: who was dating who, who suddenly became close with who, who was pretending not to know who. The kind of conversation that never really had one topic, just layers, overlapping, chaotic, and entirely theirs.

Somi had many friends in the industry, but aside from her closest circle, Jade was the only one who had that kind of access to her life, and vice versa; With each other, things were simpler. It was easy to forget everything going on in their professional lives when all they had to worry about was just being best friends, like they were right now.

The idea of going live had come from Jade, after Somi mentioned that the last time she had gone live alone was ages ago, even before she had gone public with Jungkook in his documentary, simply because she was scared.

Jade, being both stubborn and fiercely protective, had decided to do something about it.

"Unnie, that’s not fair." Jade said, watching as Somi absentmindedly swirled the wine in her glass. Somi hummed, not fully paying attention. "Didn’t he go live like… weeks ago?" Jade continued. "Talking about how he used to smoke and everything?" 

That caught Somi’s attention. She looked up, lips parting slightly, eyes a little glassy, either from the wine or from the weight of it, Jade couldn’t tell.

"…yeah." the oldest admitted quietly.

Jade leaned back against the couch, arms crossing.

"And you’re here scared to say hi to your fans?" there was no judgment in her voice, just disbelief. "We're fixing that, right now". 

And there they were.

Sitting in the middle of Somi’s living room, the indirect yellow lights casting a soft glow, just enough to hide the flush on their cheeks. The TV played quietly in the background, some random American news show neither of them was actually watching.

Some fans were still trying to understand what was going on, some hate comments started to show but they’d get lost in the middle of so much love their fans were showing them. Deep inside, Somi was happy to be welcomed like that, especially in someone else’s environment. 

The comments were flying so fast, the girls could barely keep up. 

"Okay, wait." Jade said, trying to focus on one specific comment. "Slow down! Why are so many of you awake?” she laughed, almost regretting her own idea, squinting at the screen.

"Because you said ‘Choi Somi.’" Somi muttered beside her, leaning even closer to the phone. "You summoned them."

Jade snorted, scrolling again. 

"Oh, this one says, ‘blink if you’re being held hostage, Soso.’"

Somi immediately blinked twice. Jade burst out laughing, nearly dropping the phone. 

"Stop, unnie! Don’t do that, they’re going to believe you!"

"As they should." Somi shrugged. "You dragged me into this, Jaidee."

"They’re asking how we met." Jade said, sitting up a little straighter. "I don't think we've ever told people about it."

Somi’s eyes lit up instantly. 

"Tell them! Tell them!"

Jade glanced at her, frowning as she tried to remember. 

"I think it was at someone’s birthday, right?"

Somi nodded, already smiling. 

"Bambam’s. I think it was his 18th? Something like that." the girl said. Jade hummed, thinking. "You guys had just debuted." Somi continued, giggling. "And you all had that really… puffy face."

Jade gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her chest as if deeply offended. Somi immediately laughed, sitting up, shaking her head. 

"No, no, not like that! I mean like… that baby face, you know? Rookie face!"

Jade broke into a smile, waving her off. "I know what you meant."

She leaned back slightly, remembering.

"We were probably the quietest people there." she said. "We had just finished a schedule, and everyone was exhausted. But I think me, Jeongyeon unnie, Nayeon unnie, and Jihyo unnie stopped by just to say hi."

Somi was already wheezing.

"Bambam greeted us wearing sunglasses," Jade continued, trying not to laugh. "but one of the lenses was completely broken."

Somi clapped, losing it. 

"Yes! And you know who broke it?" she asked, looking at Jade. 

Jade didn’t even hesitate as they answered it together. 

"Jackson!" they said at the same time, bursting into laughter all over again and pointing at each other. 

It took them some minutes to calm down. And, even then, every time their eyes met, they’d start laughing again, remembering little details they couldn’t say out loud. Like how that had been the first time Jade and her members had broken curfew and how Somi had rushed them out, half-dragging and half-laughing, trying to get them back to their dorm before anyone noticed. 

And how Jade and the girls had only managed to avoid getting into real trouble because they kept repeating they were with EXO’s Somi, that being the first day of a long lasting friendship. 

Jade let out another breathless laugh, wiping the corner of her eyes. 

"Oh, my stomach hurts." she said, 

"Yeah." Somi nodded a little too enthusiastically, like she had just understood something very important, even though she hadn’t. "And that’s how we met, everyone!"

The comments exploded once again, faster this time. Some hearts, some laugh emojis, a lot of ‘Johnny’ and ‘Jungkook’ as well. 

Somi leaned in slightly, trying to read something, her eyes scanning quickly as she read something about Johnny and Jungkook being in Korea ‘punching the air’. That seemed a little funnier for drunk Somi, who let out a small laugh, covering her mouth. 

"Whoa, they’re crazy." she commented, pointing at the comment for Jade to read. 

"Yeah, very." she agreed. 

The girls didn't read the comment out loud, but the way Jade suddenly avoided eye contact with the screen and Somi leaned back still giggling said enough, the comments going even faster. 

"Stop." Jade pointed at the phone, like she was scolding the fans. "Behave, guys."

Somi suddenly gasped, narrowing her eyes to read something. 

"Wait, someone asked about your solo, Jade-ssi." she told the girl. 

Jade froze for a second. 

"Guys, I have heard some of her stuff." Somi said, putting her freshly retouched red hair in a bun. "Like, actual demos!"

Jade tsked, complaining. 

"Unnie…" she mumbled. 

"And it’s insane!" Somi continued, she slapped the girls arm in a joke. "Why are you hiding it?"

"I’m not hiding it." Jade said, not really convincing. 

"You are." Somi shot back. "You literally played me that track then said ‘forget you heard that’." she mocked her friend's talk. 

"The thing is," Jade said, shifting slightly and pulling her legs up on the couch, a bit more relaxed. "I’m fine producing to other people. But I'm very strict when it comes to my own stuff. I never really like something."

Somi nodded immediately while pointing at the girl. "She's crazy, guys."

"I charge myself a lot, you know that. I don’t want to release something I wouldn’t listen to myself." Jade continued, looking at Somi, who nodded. "And since I'm also producing with the company, I tend to prioritize that over my solo stuff."

The comments suddenly slowed just a little, as if the fans were actually paying attention to Jade. She exhaled softly, then shrugged. 

"But, we’ll see.” she added. "If they give Producer Jade a break, maybe I can start thinking about it."

Somi turned at her fast, 

"A break? You never take breaks!"

Jade smiled faintly, shaking her head. Somi leaned into the camera. 

"Once," she called out TWICE’s fandom. "you need to force her into her solo debut."

"No, they don’t." Jade said, immediatly.

Somi just laughed, leaning into Jade’s shoulder. She was still laughing, her head resting comfortably on her shoulder when the phone slipped.

"Wait!" she muttered, grabbing it just before it hit the floor.

The screen tilted wildly for a second, showing a blur of ceiling, couch, and Somi’s arm before stabilizing again.

"Unnie, hold it properly." Jade said, adjusting her grip.

"I am holding it properly." Somi protested, even though she hadn’t touched it once.

"Girl, you're not holding anything." Jade said, pointing at the girl, giggling.

Somi dropped back onto the couch, still holding her glass, her head naturally falling back onto Jade’s shoulder like it had been doing all night.

Jade didn’t move. She just adjusted slightly, making it easier for her. The comments were still flying, but slower now.

Somi stared at the screen for a moment, quieter now.

"I don’t think people actually understand," she said, her voice a little slower, a little more honest than before, "how hard it is to find real friends in the work we have."

Jade hummed, but didn’t interrupt, searching for an interesting comment. Somi let out a small breath, her fingers loosely playing with the edge of her sleeve.

"Everyone thinks we’re surrounded by people all the time." she continued, eyes still on the screen. "But it’s not always like that and I’m just really happy I got to find Jade."

Jade’s expression softened immediately.

"Oh, unnie." she muttered, pouting slightly as she wrapped one arm around Somi’s shoulders, pulling her in just a little closer. "I’m happy I have you too."

Somi smiled, eyes closing for a second as she leaned into her. Jade glanced at the screen again, reading a few comments, then let out a quiet breath.

"Okay she said softly. "We should probably go. You're too drunk already."

Somi groaned immediately.

"No!"

"Yes. We have to go before we get even crazier." Jade answered.

Somi sat up slightly, looking at the camera again, still smiling.

"Thank you for staying with us." she said, a little softer now. "Even if it was chaotic."

"Mostly chaotic." Jade added.

"Very chaotic."

Jade adjusted the phone slightly.

"Go to sleep, guys." she told the viewers. "Or… at least pretend you will."

Somi waved lazily. "Good night, guys."

Jade smiled faintly.

"Good night."

"I'm gonna get more wine." Somi said, getting up.

And, like everyone else involved, Jaein was incredibly excited about this new concept the company had decided to try. With heavy inspiration from different forms of art and the sampling Bach, it was definitely worth all the anticipation.

Jaein knew that, with the pregnancy, she wouldn’t be able to fully participate in this comeback. Luckily, she still wasn’t showing enough for the company to even consider cutting her from the promotional photoshoots.

And, just like she had said in the meeting where she told them about the pregnancy, she wasn’t going to stop until her body told her to. She was just pregnant. That wasn’t the end of the world.

And that was why, when her staff and manager saw her arriving almost an hour earlier than everyone else, just like she always did, they didn’t even bother telling her to go home.

Her members arrived one by one, each of them following the same ritual: greeting Jaein’s almost invisible bump before greeting her. Every time they did it, Jaein felt her heart warm with all the love and support they were giving her, even in the very early stages of her pregnancy.

She knew it wouldn’t take long for the company to start cutting her off. In fact, it was already happening. Subtle things. Leaving her out of certain commercials, the occasional Instagram lives the girls would start without her… things Jaein had never thought would matter that much.

"Feel my rhythm, come with me…" she sang along to the demo as she danced a little away from her members, who were rehearsing the choreography for five members now, not six.

Jaein still followed the movements out of habit, marking the steps just outside the formation.

From her spot, Irene noticed something she couldn't explain herself. Something almost like an instinct.

"Jaein-ssi," she called softly as the choreographer corrected something about spreading their arms wider. "are you okay?"

Jaein blinked, a little surprised by the sudden attention.

"Of course, unnie." she said with a small smile, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheeks. She was already sweating, even though they had been dancing for less than an hour, one of the early symptoms. "Why wouldn’t I be?"

Irene simply nodded and stepped back into position when the demo restarted. It went on like that for about twenty minutes until Irene suddenly clapped.

"Okay! Break!" she said.

Jaein blinked, irritation flickering across her face.

"We just started, unnie."

Seulgi suddenly dropped to the floor.

"I'm so tired." she mumbled.

"No, you're not." Jaein said, confused.

Joy walked over to the speaker and lowered the volume. Then another notch. And another.

"Is it just me or is the instrumental too loud?"

Jaein slowly looked around and realised no one was making eye contact, and that's when it hit her. They weren’t struggling or messing up. They were avoiding her.

Her lips pressed together as she placed her hands on her lower back.

"Are you guys avoiding rehearsing?"

All five of them froze, like children caught in the act. The room fell completely silent.

"That’s not what this is, Jaein-ah." Yeri said quickly.

Jaein looked at her, eyes already glossy.

"Then what is it?" she asked, quietly.

Irene ran a hand through her hair, clearly trying to keep her composure.

"Why would we avoid working, Jaein?" she asked, carefully.

"Jaein, sit down." Wendy said, gently holding onto her arm.

Jaein pulled back slightly.

"Do you not want me here?" she asked softly, her lips trembling.

Wendy’s head snapped up. "What?"

Jaein let out a small, shaky laugh.

"You keep stopping. You’re acting weird. If you think I can’t do this just say it. I'm not fragile." her voice chracked on the last word.

Wendy immediately panics.

"Oh, Jaein, no. No no no."

"I can still dance. I can still sing. I’m not even showing yet." Jaein continued, words spilling out faster now, hands gesturing as if she could physically prove her point. "If this is going to be complicated, I can just step back from this comeback."

"WHAT?" Joy practically yelled.

Jaein’s breathing grew uneven. Pregnancy hormones? Absolutely. Overthinking? Completely. All of it.

"I don’t want to slow you down. If I need to leave the group for a while, I will."

The room goes dead silent.

Seulgi’s eyes filled instantly. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you’re all acting like I’m glass!" Jaein snapped, tears finally falling. "If you wanted me gone you could’ve just said it instead of treating me like I’m sick."

Joy looked seconds away from crying out of frustration.

"No one wants you gone!" she shot back. "Girl, we’re trying to get you to rest!"

"We’ve been begging you to rest for two weeks!" Wendy added.

Yeri crossed her arms.

"You came to rehearsal yesterday after throwing up!"

"That was morning sickness, not death!"

Irene steps forward, calm but firm.

"Jaein," she called out the girl. "I know you are not fragile. But you are pregnant."

There was a silence between them as Jaein tried to think about what to say back.

"And we love you." Irene continued. "More than this choreography. More than any comeback."

Jaein wiped her face angrily.

"I don’t want special treatment." she mumbled.

"It’s not special treatment." Seulgi said, a small, helpless laugh escaping her. "It’s literally basic human care."

Joy sighed sharply. "We’re not delaying rehearsal because you’re weak. We’re delaying it because you won’t stop."

Yeri nods aggressively. "You won’t sit down unless we physically restrain you."

Jaein sniffled.

"You could’ve just told me."

"We DID! A thousand times!" Wendy groaned. "You said ‘I’m fine’ and started doing full-out turns."

They all look at each other. Irene slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Jaein narrowed her eyes.

Jaein narrows her eyes.

"Unnie, what are you doing?"

"Calling Jaebeom." Irene answered.

"Oh, thank you." Joy muttered under her breath.

Jaein let out a disbelieving laugh, wiping her cheeks again.

"You’re all being dramatic." she muttered, turning away from them. "My doctor said I could dance. I’m fine!"

No one answered, and that should’ve been her first sign.

With a huff, she walked over to the white leather couch at the side of the studio and sat down, crossing her arms. Still stubborn, she started moving her hands slightly to the beat, marking the choreography while seated, like that somehow proved her point.

Jaebeom didn't take long. The studio door opened about twenty minutes later, and he stepped in, dressed simply, like he had dropped everything to be there. His eyes scanned the room quickly before landing on Jaein in the corner.

Jaein frozed.

"You actually called him?" she protested, turning to Irene.

Jaebeom didn’t say anything right away. He greeted everyone with a polite bow, then walked further into the room, calm and steady, like he always was.

"Hi." Jaein said, trying to sound casual. "What are you doing here?"

He stopped in front of her. Up close, he could see the flushed cheeks, the watery eyes, the way she was still slightly out of breath.

"You’ve been crying." he said simply.

Jaein scoffed, looking away and crossing her arms.

"I’m pregnant. I cry about everything now."

By then, the girls had gathered around them, forming a loose circle like they were witnessing a live intervention. Jaein let out a small laugh at the absurdity of it.

"Guys," she saidm mid-laugh. "I swear, I’m fine!"

"We know you think you are." he replied, still completely straight-faced. "But you've been overworking, my love."

"I have not." she protested.

"Yes, you have!" five voices echoed, at once.

"I am not leaving." Jaein said, looking away.

Jaebeom looked at her. Then at the girls. Then back at her.

"Okay."

He shrugged, before seating right next to her, on the floor.

Jaein blinked.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m waiting."

"For what?"

"For you to finish your little tantrum."

The room exploded. Joy doubled over laughing. Wendy literally dropped to the floor next to Seulgi. Yeri slapped the ground like this was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

Jaein stared at him, betrayed.

"... this is bullying." she said, her shoulders dropping.

"Yeah, maybe." he said with a small smile, clearly relieved she was finally easing.

Jaein stared at him for a second longer.

Then, with the most dramatic sigh known to mankind, she stood up and started gathering her things from the couch, making everyone cheer.

Jaebeom got up right after her, stepping closer and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head while she shoved things into her bag a little too aggressively.

Everyone cheered.

"You're tired." he mumbled.

Deep down, she knew it was true.

Her feet ached, her back was sore, and the thin layer of sweat on her skin made it clear her body wasn’t keeping up the way it used to. But she was too proud to admit it.

"Let’s go home, babe." he said, gently taking her bag from her hands and throwing it over his shoulder. She didn’t argue this time.

Jaein mumbled her goodbyes, giving quick hugs to the girls, who looked both relieved and amused. Even the choreographer was smiling like he had just watched the best reality show episode of his life.

Jaebeom opened the door for her, following right behind.

As they stepped out into the hallway, he glanced down at her.

"You good?"

Jaein nodded, leaning lightly against his shoulder, her lips forming a small pout.

"…yeah."

A pause.

"But don’t come that fast next time."

Jaebeom let out a soft laugh, nodding.