I love the idea of I.N. losing his absolute shit for Reader.
You got invited to some live show, and you aren't from Korea, so your Korean fans are already losing it. You saw yourself as a pretty well-known artistβnot too big, not too small. So seeing you had fans all the way in Korea did shock you. It also made you so proud; you started this career not only for your own dreams but also to show other plus-size girls that they can make it.
You didn't hide your love for K-pop or your biases and all that. Fans knew you were in their spaces, and they lowkey loved it. It made you relatable in a way, and that helped them with their own confidence. The only thing is, you never expected your own bias to stan you. You had no idea I.N. would watch all your MV's, openings, TikToks, and YouTube vlogs. You didn't think you were his type of musician.
So when a bubble message goes around Twitter, Chan calling out the maknae. You didn't think it was about you; all Chan had written was how I.N. wouldn't shut up about an artist he liked performing at the same event. How the maknae is head over heels should be questioned. There were so many events and so many artists, but you couldn't help but daydream that it was about you. It doesn't help that I.N. goes live!
Of course, fans are questioning and teasing him about the messages Chan put out. He gets all bashful and fails at being nonchalant. "Stay, she is so talented! I'm excited to see her perform," and of course, the question of whether he finds this artist pretty comes up. "She is very pretty." So fans know quickly this isn't just an "I find her talented" moment; this is a celebrity crush moment!
Instead of doing just one event in Korea, of course, your company makes you do a whole thing for it. Finally giving those fans what they wanted, you are booked. A full month and maybe even more of back-to-back events and filming. I.N. hops on bubble. "Please everyone, stay healthy and do not overwork yourselves." Fans are starting to catch on because what a coincidence that your schedule in Korea drops and he says that.
This causes a little frenzy because half the fandom says it's you and the other half says it can't be. So of course, some do some digging, digging, and they find out quickly it is you. You can't believe the rumors going around, and you don't even have time to process them as you are booked and still getting used to everything new around you.
On the day of your performance, you are a nervous wreck. You can fake confidence all you want, but it has finally clicked with you that you are performing in front of so many of your idols! You need everything to go perfectly! You barely socialize before going on stage, only getting a couple of pictures with idols. Finally, the first song starts playing, and you are in the zone. You are hyperfocused on getting every note and move right. You don't even notice a certain idol not being able to hide his freak-out.
waving around the light stick given by the event and his phone in the other hand. Nonchalent is out the window for I.N. He's singing along to all the songs, and there is pure admiration on his face. Fans are recording everything and eating it up. They have never seen the sly fox of a maknae lose it so bad. Even the other members are shocked and teasing him. Hyunjin even copies him, and this causes I.N. to glare at him because no one loves you more than he does.
Finally, you get to "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?" and I.N. can't help but point at himself. You follow the vibe of the song and rush around the stage, interacting. Until finally you get close to the area where other idols are sitting, and I.N. straightens up so quickly and zeros in on you. It gets to the part where you usually sit between a group of people and wave your left hand around. You happen to take the seat between I.N. and Hyunjin.
The man is starstruck, but you are more focused on Hyunjin, as he isn't your bias, so you are less intimidated to look at him. I.N. does not do that; he takes one of his rings off and places it on your finger. Your eyes widen as you snap to look at him, and he has the biggest smile. You have to rush off once again so you keep the ring. At the end of your performance, you are questioning everything. You don't have time to check social media as you clean up and get ready to go out and mingle. You and I.N. are trending on socials, especially I.N.
Fans saw a whole new side to him, and they are not letting it go. While going out to mingle, you keep his ring, hoping you will run into him again. You enjoy all the performances and, of course, notice how I.N. stays close to your area when Stray Kids performs. He was in his zone, flexing, winking, and doing crazy fan service. By the end of the event, sadly, you don't get a one-on-one with Stray Kids. Yet, you still have his ring.
Finally, at the hotel you are staying at, you get a break. You see everything that is being said on social media. You see how I.N. was when you were on stage, even in clips off stage where his eyes follow you around. You still ask yourself, Does your bias, bias you? He pointed at himself when you asked where your husband was, gave you his ring, and pulled your attention off of Hyunjin.
In all that support, of course, there's hate. People not understanding how I.N. could like you, how you aren't what his standard is. That doesn't last long when Stray Kids goes live again. The members were talking about the event and how they had lots of fun. Fans of spamming with questions on I.N. behavior. "I've been a fan of hers for so long... I couldn't help myself, She is so pretty," the group teases him, and he gets bashful. "He was sulking because we couldn't meet her" Jisung calls out. "It was better if we didn't! He proposed the 4 seconds she sat with him" Felix calls out, and they all laugh.
I.N. laughs but covers his face for a second. "She kept my ring." His tone is laced with love. "Good, because I thought I was going to get hit when she gave her attention to me and not you" Hyunjin mutters. "Maybe the maknae scared her" Chan jokes, and I.N. quickly shoots up. "She wasn't scared! She was shy! She does that when she is shy! It's cute." Everyone laughs at how the youngest seems to know your habits. "Well, for I.N.'s sake, hopefully we can meet her before she leaves Korea" Chan cuts the topic short before it blows up even more.
You continue watching the live feed shocked, and it doesn't end there. Later that night, I.N. sends a message on Bubble. "Today was very fun. I loved seeing Stay and all the artists" with a mirror selfie. In his phone case, a photo card of you. Those don't exist; that had to be custom-made or gifted to him. Maybe you had room in your schedule for one more special event while in Korea. If not, you'd make it; you can't leave without seeing your biggest fan.