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RueB Masterlist | A.R.E. Universe
when: January 29th, 2026; HWAA Promotional Period | word count: 2.1k
summary: Soonja's 29th birthday also marks her 14th year with After Rain Entertainment. Yawen gifts her an annoyingly adorable scrapbook filled with memories, which forces her to do some reflecting. Each page brings tears, but also closure. โThis fic includes actual pictures from the scrapbook!โ
a/n: This probably clicks more if you've read RueB's member introductions, but not a requirement to enjoy. Hope you all like this next glimpse into RueB's dynamics!
๐ฌ Snippet: "I realized you never hang up any pictures."
There was a chocolate cake resting on the counter, missing an uneven chunk and the letters to complete โ-PPY -THDAY -ONJAโ in purple, piped icing. Next to it was a half emptied bottle of wine, most of which was currently swishing around in Soonjaโs stomach.
Yawen couldnโt drink much. It made her sleepy.
Though, a passerby would think the younger of the two had drunk more based on how Yawen was curled up on their couch, humming away lazily with her eyes half shut. Soonja could recognize the familiar prechorus of 'HWAA' in the air. Sheโd written the song, after all.
The two girls laid in relative silence, exhausted after a long day of pre-recordings for M Countdown. During the live broadcasting, they stood on stage next to their hopeful peers and waited with baited breath for the numbers to roll in. Soonja had been cautiously optimistic - HWAA was performing well on the charts, but what were the odds of them winning three shows in a row, let alone on her birthday?
The MC shouted a name triumphantly, and Soonja hadn't even processed his words by the time confetti was raining over them. Someone shoved a trophy into her hands, something else into Reginaโs - a bouquet, maybe? Then someone was touching her head, causing her to flinch instinctively, until Dahee yelled into her ear amongst the chaos, โItโs a tiara, for our birthday queen!โ
She smiled sheepishly and bent her knees so Dahee could have easier access to the top of her head - not that her 5โ9โ friend needed the leverage. Crown secured, the girls ushered Soonja to the center of the stage while the other groups slowly trickled off, bowing in congratulations. She waited for the instrumental for 'HWAA' to kick inโฆ then she waited some more... and some more. From the corner of her eye, she spied Kimiko grinning at her mischeviously.
โHappy birthday to you-โ
Soonja swore, people drained her battery more than performing ever could. Some days she wished she could shut herself inside her studio and never leave, but being an idol didnโt quite work that way. She wasnโt even sure how sheโd ended up on this couch with a best friend named Yawen, celebrating a music show win on her birthday, and being just a week shy of their groupโs fifth anniversary. For Soonja, itโd been a moment fourteen years in the making.
She looked to her right, watching Yawen dance a manicured finger through the air as if she were conducting an invisible orchestra. The vocalist seemed at peace, a sight Soonja was uniquely privy to through being her roommate. She was certain anyone else would be smothering their โbirthday queenโ with attention right now, but with Yawen, the silence was comfortable.ย
Then she looked the opposite way, at the wrapped box brushing against her left thigh. Yawen had told her to open it at the end of the day, once the other members were out of sight. Now would be a good time, she supposed.
She picked up the gift gingerly, setting it on the fluffy blanket laid across her lap. Careful hands undid the bow neatly tied on top, a small smile gracing her lips as she playfully draped the ribbon across Yawenโs face. The girl swatted at it, almost cat-like, wrinkling her nose as she sat up straight. Once she noticed Soonja opening her present, her brown irises lit up brightly, but she stayed quiet.
Grabbing the lid and placing it to the side, Soonja rummaged through the tissue paper until her fingers grasped something hard and square. A lift of her arms revealed a small book, Soonjaโs name written on the front in glitter.ย
โSoonja x RueBโ, read the cover.
โI realized you never hang up any pictures, even though youโve been here forever. So, I made you a scrapbook full of them.โ Yawen chimed in softly, her finger fondly tracing over the red sparkles sheโd put there by hand.ย
Soonja was silent for a beat, which wasnโt unusual, but this time, the silence felt heavy. Not in a bad way - moreso the feeling that thereโs so much you could say, so much you want to say, but your mouth just wonโt move. Her lips partedโฆ then closed again, forming a firm line as she pressed them together tightly.
โItโs okay. You donโt have to say anything. Just enjoy it.โ Yawenโs laugh twinkled through the silence, her hand reaching to ruffle Soonjaโs hair as she rose from the couch. โHappy birthday, unnie.โ
The pit-patter of Yawenโs footsteps grew softer and softer, until Soonja was left alone. However, the weight of the book in her lap was a reminder she was never lonely.
Soonja hesitated to open the cover. She wasnโt sure what memories awaited her, but knowing Yawen, theyโd be the moments Soonja cherished most - even if Soonja herself didnโt know it yet.ย
Perhaps the wine in her belly was giving her liquid courage, but she was able to slowly flip to the first page. She expected a picture, only to find a series of brief, written notes - all signed by one of her members.
Soonja-yaaaa,
Somehow, starting off our best year yet (I can see the future) with your birthday just feels right. Getting a win for HWAA on your birthday just feels right. RueB without you would feel wrong. So, letโs never lose you, even though youโre getting SUPER OLD. Youโll definitely never lose me.
Love always,
Gina
เธเนเธญเธเธชเธฒเธง,
Thatโs the Thai word for sister, by the way. :)
Even though weโre the same age, you somehow have this wisdom about you that is beyond our years. Wisdom isnโt earned by taking the easy way out. I know youโve worked so hard for us, for yourself, and I truly donโt know what we did to deserve you. Happy birthday, Soonja-ya.
Love,
MayMay
To the best roomie in the whole wide world,
I hope you know how much I love you (clearly a lot since I made you this scrapbook)! I also hope each picture is a reminder that youโre never alone, and that you are seen. Thatโs how you make me feel everyday, whether Iโm crying into your shoulder or baking you cookies (that I definitely end up burning, and then crying into your shoulder about). Happy birthday to my favorite (and only) roommate!
Love,
Yawinnie
To my favorite unnie (donโt tell Regina),
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Youโre literally a superhero. A music producing, rap slaying, high note hitting, dance mastering superhero. Seriously, I donโt know how you do it. I donโt even know if YOU know how you do it. But our Soonja-unnie always gets shit done and looks damn GOOD while doing it. Leave some talent for the rest of us, would you? ;)
Kisses,
Dahee
Soonja-unnie,
I remember on my first day at A.R.E., you bought me a boba. I was so nervous, I almost threw it up. That would have been embarrassing, no? Even if I did though, I donโt think you would have laughed at me. Maybe you would have held my hair back or gotten me some water. Youโre just a giver like that (donโt deny it). Let us give a little back to you, at least on your special day.
Happy birthday,
Kimi
The ink of Kimikoโs signature began to seep into the paper as a teardrop landed right on top of her name, having escaped without Soonja knowing.ย
Fuck. She didnโt even want to look at these pictures anymore. (Of course she did.)
She rolled her eyes as far back as they would go, as if that would make the lump in her throat disappear. It at least kept the tears at bay.
She turned to the next page.
It was a picture of her from over a decade ago, so old she wasnโt even sure how Yawen had found it. It was probably unearthed by one of the older Heliose boys sheโd trained with back in the day, always jumping at the opportunity to poke fun. Clearly sheโd been in an anime phase at the time, if the cut out of Luffy next to her was any indiciation. โBaby Soonja!โ, Yawen had captioned it.
Soonja had no idea exactly what sheโd signed up for at that age. At the time, A.R.E. was still relatively small, the building relatively empty. She was glad that didnโt last forever, even if she pretended otherwise.
She turned to the next page.
There was a photo of her and Regina hugging on stage, the day โSlayโ earned them their first music show victory. Soonja didnโt need a picture to remember that moment. Itโd probably be etched into her brain, into her heart, until the day she died.ย
It was a memory she clinged to whenever Regina and she argued. Whether or not they agreed, or shared the same opinions, they were both chasing the same feeling - staying strong for the others, through thick and thin, until they reached the top. They were the two members of RueB who would do whatever it took to get there.ย
She could hardly believe there was a time where the fans had pitted them against each other. Some parts of their past, sheโd rather not remember.
She turned to the next page.
Speaking of moments sheโd rather not rememberโฆ
Someone had clearly snuck a photo of her passed out on their dressing room couch. She would bet money it was Kimiko, always wandering around with her phone out. Soonja insisted it was because she was Gen Z - addicted to her damn screen.
Kimiko insisted it was for documentation purposes. โSomeone has to be ready to catch all our juiciest moments. What if they make a documentary about us one day and need content?โ
Soonja wasnโt sure how her sleeping was juicy, but the photo caused her to grin, nonetheless.
She turned to the next page.
This one had another note first, followed by a picture.
Unnie,
Thank you for coming home with me. I didnโt like it much when I lived there, but it was better with you. Hereโs โSoonja in Shanghai!'
Yawen
Not many people knew Yawenโs turbulent history with her family, a history so haunting itโd ruined an entire city for her. It was only when Soonja offered to go with thatโd Yawen had dared to go back, this time as a tourist and not as a (figurative) prisoner. It was a fun trip, but Yawen made one thing clear - South Korea, RueB, and Soonja were her home now.
She flipped the book shut.
There were more pages, more memories scattered throughout, but she could look at those another time, when tears werenโt clouding her vision. Right now, she felt like she had all the time in the world with her girls, that their journey would never end - that they would always keep climbing, keep singing together. She hadnโt felt that way in a long time.ย
Thereโd been a deep hollowness inside her when she relinquished her role as RueBโs leader a few years prior, a gnawing of guilt and shame thatโd followed relentlessly. No matter how many times the others gave her reassurance, she couldn't shake it. Eagle-eyed fans often caught the shift in her mood, the way her smile failed to reach her eyes more and more as the days passed. It was all she could do to turn that pain into music. At least then, it felt helpful, somehow.
Perhaps the book and its memories were the reminder she needed - a reminder sheโd made the right decision. More importantly, it felt like the universe was giving her permission to let go. It'd been permission she didn't even know she was waiting for.
Sniffling and curled in on herself, she shuffled across the hardwood floor until she reached Yawenโs room. The door was slightly cracked open, the way she always left it - her small sign that she was available whenever Soonja needed her.
Soonja nudged the door open with her shoulder, her shuffling not ceasing until she reached the side of Yawenโs bed. It was small, any extra space taken up with a dozen plushies. Yawen was scrolling on her phone, but didnโt seem surprised when Soonja entered. If anything, a knowing but soft smile crossed her lips, almost as if sheโd been expecting this.
โMove over.โ she grumbled, arms still crossed over her chest, head still hung low so Yawen couldnโt see her tear stained cheeks. Other than a small chuckle, Yawen was silent as she flung some of her stuffies mercilessly onto the cold floor to make room. The loud squeak of a stuffed bunny hitting the hardwood made it very hard for Soonja to stay grumpy.
She crawled under Yawenโs covers, burying her face in the girlโs pillowโฆ and promptly screaming into it.
Yawen patted her shoulder. โIโm guessing that means you liked it?โ
