Archive of Our Own

The reflectors of the studio were blinding at the start of the interview. Zoey had a hard time not squinting in order to keep the professional look.

Oh, how she lamented her life choices.

Maybe it was for the early hour, maybe it was because Zoey did not slept well the night before, her mind buzzing with new ideas for rap lyrics, the soft but present Honmoon reacting to her lyrics, falling into the arms of their girlfriends very, very late. Mira even grumbled in her sleep a ‘very late, dummy’ and then kissed her on the forehead. Rumi simply cuddled to her side, said something about being up early tomorrow, and then sighed happily when Mira rested her arm on top of both of them, Zoey sandwiched between them.

Well, okay, Zoey did not lamented the life choices that brought her here. At all!

Of course, the next morning, she was feeling like worm who was run over by a tricycle. Mira was poking fun at her, telling her that she was now slow as a turtle getting ready. Rumi was already ready and dressed, telling Zoey that the maknae knew of the interview for days and shouldn’t have gone to sleep so late. But then, when Zoey groaned miserably, she softened and promised to help her with the make up if she got changed in less than twenty minutes.

That was the best motivation Zoey had that morning to move fast. Because she could always steal kisses when Rumi did her make up.

“You’re spoiling her.” Mara doesn’t even try to sound stern and there was a smile on her face betraying while she sits behind Zoey and started doing her hair.

“Look who’s talking.” Rum muttered, smiling adoringly at Zoey while she applied the blush.

Now, in the studio, she had a hard time focusing on some of the questions. Thankfully, mister Yong started with the other girls. Mira replying to the questions with her combination of ‘unbothered’ with ‘professionally engaged’ voice.

“...my inspirations for the moves was New York’s hip-hop scene...”

“...The camping tent is one of my outfits for the music video...”

Zoey kept her usual composure, always a tad more energetic than her girlfriends, nodding more times than the others. She was a professional now with six years in the industry, so she knew how to keep the appearances even if she felt tired.

And also her girlfriends always showed support. She felt Rumi’s hand next her with her cute patterns, and Mira’s thigh lightly brushing hers, anchors in the moment. Zoey took a subtle breath. She felt better, anchored. The love from the girls could lift her up without the need of coffee or Blue Goat drinks.

The interviewer was actually quite nice, one of the trusted networks that had authentic journalists working these interviews. It was clear that he made his homework on them, but at the same time, his questions were thoughtful without being invasive.

The only question about Rumi’s “rare birth marks” was actually a cute one:

“How not hiding parts of yourself inspires your music now?”

Which Rumi replied with her usual combination of grace and respectfulness but the cadence of her voice and the softness of her eyes gave away the fact that she liked the question.

Rumi was a big softie, a fact that Zoey and Mira loved about her.

“I always connected with our music in all the levels, but now?” she says looking briefly to the girls, a very soft look –oh! This would made the fans crazy online with their theories-- “now I feel it them in parts of my soul that I didn’t know I was cut out.”

That made everyone melt in the studio. The producer’s assistant let out a tear. The camera man sniffed. A muffled “aww” even was heard, probably from Bobby. Mira looked at Rumi with such soft eyes that...yep, the fans were going to have a field day with that one.

Not that Zoey was any better, she was tearing up and couldn’t help but nudge Rumi with her shoulder.

It was, in all honesty, a very good moment in the interview.

So, Zoey was feeling fairly okay, despite the grogginess, so she was a bit blindsided when the interviewer asked this question, one that he even stuttered in asking.

“O-oh! Zoey,” the reporter hesitated but then recovered quickly “did you work out post-production the accent in your recent rap?”

That caught her off guard.

“Excuse me?” she couldn’t help herself but re-ask. She felt like a deer in the headlights. Rumi was frowning, which for her to do in the middle of an interview was as loud as screaming ‘How the fuck dare you’, and Mira leaned forward, like she was getting ready to get up the couch.

A few days ago, they published a teaser for the new single Con/nect: a small clip of twenty-seconds of vocals by Rumi and Mira, with a Spanish guitar on the background, followed by a few lines of rap that Zoey was very proud of.

Con/nect was going to have her first published rap in Korean. She took advantage that the new song was slower and the tempo wasn’t as fast as their other songs, so it was perfect for her first full Korean rap for a professional song.

Everyone, and she meant everyone, from the record studio crew to the girls themselves, have never mentioned anything about her accent being too strong.

The man seemed unfazed by their reactions, but he was frowning slightly at the tablet. He then put it aside, cleared his throat softly and asked.

“There are comments about your upcoming first full rap in Korean may have been technically difficult to produce, how do you respond to that?” he asks.

That didn’t mollify Mira or Rumi, who were still looking tense but the clear attempt of mister Yong to soften the question made Zoey’s professional gears kick back into motion.

She replied, keeping her usual cheerfulness and trademark smile.

“Oh! It was such a tough but fun challenge. I mean, I grew up in the States, and even if my halmeoni would teach me a lot of songs, many of my raps inspirations in my teenage years were American artists. There are many sounds in Korean that doesn’t exist in English, so it was difficult to make my mouth do what I wanted.” she let the chuckle from the man die and then she said “Sometimes it was too much, sometimes it wasn’t enough.”

That came out more serious that she intended and felt Rumi and Mira tense at her sides, so she came back with her trademark energy “But hey! Now it did paid off because it sounds awesome!”

Rumi’s frown relaxed, and Mira now, instead leaning forward, now leaned towards her.

Rumi said, firmly. “Our maknae is so talented, bringing so many new sounds, and…” she looked at the interviewer and then at the camera. “Performing so well”

Mira was more direct, looking into the camera and the producer. “Yeah, everyone with working ears can hear how perfect that was executed.”

Mister Yong nodded. “And I couldn’t agree more.” he turned to the camera, his polite, charming smile for the public on. “Now we are going to leave you with some messages of our sponsors. Stay tuned for Huntrix and their new single Con/nect”

And with that, the light of “REC” was off.

Bobby walked towards the interviewer. “Hey! what was that? How dare-” but before Bobby, or Mira, or Rumi could rain on him, he was already getting up and giving a small reverence.

“That question was not appropriated for this interview and wasn’t one I vetoed. I apologize for my oversight and for making you uncomfortable”

Bobby even stopped there, the rest of what he was saying dying on his lips.

The girls looked equally surprised.

Zoey was the first to break the silence. She waved her hands quickly in the air, babbling: “Oh! No, no, mister Yong. That was actually a fine question, I mean, that was a selling point of the song, right? The maknae that always raps in English now rapping in Korean! I bet that may bring you up lots of questions…”

“Zoey! No.” Mira interrupts, and puts a hand on her shoulder. “That wasn’t a good question”

Rumi put a hand on her back and turned to the journalist. “I understand what you said, mister Yong, but I hope you realize it was an out-of-the-field question”

Bobby, who also recovered, said, putting himself between the girls and the journalist. “Yeah! Zoey gave her best talent for this rap! And it’s so good! Why did you blindsided her like this?”

Zoey felt a tug on her chest at seeing her girls, and her Bobby, defend her so profusely.

Mister Yong straightened but sighed, clearly displeased. He signaled at his producer, who came while taking her glasses off.

“Ladies” she said, the middle-age lady, professional but clearly tired. She gave a nod to Bobby “Mister Jeong, we are so sorry for this.”

She then sighed and turned to the interviewer. “Yong, I don’t know what happened. I made sure your questions were uploaded in the tablet at time but I didn’t check them.”

Yong shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Kim, it must have been something after the revision.”

The producer sighed. “In any case, this is our fault. We are sorry, it wasn’t our intention to give you this kind of questions.” she then made a signal with her hand to the camera crew and turned at them. “We can re-record that part again, after we check the rest of the questions.” she rubbed her forehead with two fingers. “I’ll deal with the higher-ups”

Zoey hurried to say. “Oh! No, no, you don’t have to! I mean, I’m sure it’s fine like that and--”

Mira and Rumi pressed against the youngest singer, grabbing her hands.

Bobby turned to the maknae putting a hand on her shoulder.

“This is your call, Zoey, we’ll do whatever you want.” he said, his voice serious but soft with her. “But do what it feels good to you.”

Rumi spoke, softly. “It’s your decision.”

Mira nodded. “Just say the word.”
That made her pause. She seemed some conflicted. The question did caught her off guard, but it can be felt like that by many things: she went to sleep at two in the morning and needed to be up by six, despite knowing way before that the interview was early in the morning. She thought she could slum it, that she had it on the bag...

Oh, maybe that was the problem, maybe she was over-confident due to the high of having wrote Con/nect. Or maybe it was the beautiful, ecstatic high of being finally together-together with Rumi and Mira-

Maybe it was that, maybe she was relying too much on others. And not enough on herself.

And yes, the original question may have been worded a bit mean, but it was a fair question: Zoey’s Korean was a native Korean but still, so many years, especially her childhood years, were on the United States. No matter how much her grandparents spoke with her via phone, or how much her mom and her spoke in Korean, it cannot beat the fact that her formative years her main language was English. Poetry, history, math: all of that was in English.

Yes, her parents, on insistence of her halmeoni, would give her books about Korea and their culture but it simply wasn’t the same, was it?

Maybe she did have an accent, maybe she needed to read more the serious music critics. Maybe unraveling during the interview just for her feelings was too much, when she wasn’t being enough.

Zoey sighed but then smiled. “It’s fine, leave it like that; you did asked a much better question, right?” Nobody looked convinced by her but she pressed on. “Besides, re-recording when so many wonderful questions were already answered? It would be a drag!” she said letting her tongue out.

Rumi and Mira exchanged a look, and sighed. They knew Zoey had taken a decision. So they tightened their grip on Zoey’s hands.

Rumi said, carefully. “All right...but, edit it, so it only comes out the second question.”

Mira nodded.

Bobby looked at Zoey for a bit longer, and then turned to the interviewed.

“You heard my girls.”

The producer and the interviewer nodded. “We will continue the recording and send you the final edition before airing it”

----

The good thing about working with professionals, it’s that the next questions threw at Zoey were much better and more like the ones they asked Rumi and Mira.

“What was your inspiration when writing Con/nect?”

She felt more like herself, and felt a lot of excitement on replying the questions.

“Well, obviously my band-mates”

That made Rumi and Mira blush. They were so cute and Zoey was so giddy that she could elicit that kind of reaction.

Thank the Spirits for flashing studio lights.

“You also helped with the graphic design for the promotional poster of Con/nect, how was your process?”

“The shell of the Caribbean turtles!”

Zoey did love her turtles after all.

By the time they wrapped up the filming, Zoey felt like herself, feeling like she could take the world and ready to continue with her agenda, doing what she always loved. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey exchanged goodbyes and the crew, including mister Yong, apologized again.

Bobby gave the girls thumbs up, followed by some finger guns that Zoey obviously returned, and he promised to send them the interview beforehand.

Zoey still had the interview in the back of her head but the rest of the day kept them extremely busy: photo-shoots, checking with the crews, and then rehearsals for their first live presentation of Con/nect.

The maknae was exciting the dance studio with the girls, already rambling about all the fun activities they could do later that evening.

Unlike other years, their nights were much lighter. And it was because, since the new Honmoon, demons attacks have become less frequent. The demon world was in chaos since they defeated Gwi-ma, or at least that’s what they theorized, so probably they were busy fighting or deciding what to do without their king.

They were in their “incognito” outfits, going through the alleys towards the salon.

Zoey was walking backwards, facing the girls, her words going fast and mixing with Korean. They were rounding a corner, Zoey speaking enthusiastically and gesturing widely.

“We could totally do Parkour Tag! or we could do something less training-like and more fun-like, like Laser tag! There’s this new place-”

Zoey bumped into someone. She turned, embarrassed.

“I’m so, so sorry!”

But the guy just grunted and murmured something.

She didn’t quite catch it all but she did heard.

“...-aking tourists…”

It all happened so fast that by the time Zoey processed the word, the guy was already gone and rounded the other corner of the alley.

Mira and Rumi frowned approaching Zoey and putting themselves at her side, like a protection wall. Rumi asked. “Zoey? What did he say?”

Zoey, however, took a moment to reply.

Tourist.

The guy thought they were tourists. No, not them. He didn’t hear the other girls speaking. She was the one speaking fast and switching between languages and...she was the one that sounded like a tourist.

More than eight years living full time in Korea, and she still sounded...like a tourist!.

Well, you were first a tourist, when you visited mom after the divorce. A part of her brain whispered. You weren’t always to be from one place, were you...

Mira nudge her softly. “Hey, did that guy insulted you?” she asks, low, protective.

Zoey blinked, and shook her head. “No, no, I...I didn’t quite catch it” she said, not exactly a lie.

Rumi frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Zoey smiled a bit, always loving when either of them called her pet names. She sighed. “Yeah! I think I just didn’t expect it, y’know? My brain was going full hundred and then I bump into the poor guy” she says, scratching the back of her neck, her hat slightly askew.

Before they could say anything else, voice interrupted them.

“Zoey?”

Oh no, fans!

But when Zoey turns, a tall woman, almost as tall as Mira and around the same age, in a stylish coat, glasses with a bobba tea in her left hand was there. And she wasn’t looking at the other two most recognizable woman in the whole world, but just at Zoey.

The woman smiled.

“Zoey ! So famous now that you don’t say hi to your old friends?”

Zoey blinked. It couldn’t be…!

“June?!”

June? June as in cool-senior-year-of-high-school-student June?

June smiles, her smile beautiful and confident, the piercing on her nose shinning with the light, long brown hair shinning with the sun.

“The one and only!”

Zoey cannot believed it! June! The only student at her high-school who was nice to her!

Zoey cannot help herself and she hugs the woman. She feels the Honmoon hum in a familiar way but Zoey is so excited that she doesn’t pay much attention.

“Oh! June! It’s been such a long time!” she says, excitedly. “What are you doing here?”

June returns the hug with one arm, the other away to avoid splashing Zoey with the bobba tea.

“Oh! I’m just taking a stroll in Seoul. My team and I decided to take the evening off and go explore the city on our own.”

Zoey nods, enthusiastically. “You have to tell me everything! The last I heard of you, it was that you were working with buildings and-oh!” Zoey turned to see her girlfriends, who were standing a bit awkwardly at the side.

Rumi had a hand behind her back, and Mira was squinting at them.

Zoey did not pay much attention to it and said. “Oh, sorry, I haven’t introduced you. Girls, this is June. She was the assistant to our art teacher, and she also was my tutor!”

June interjects. “And the one that taught you how to make a hardflip”

Zoey snorts, elbowing the tall woman “Oh, really? I already knew how to make one.”

When Zoey saw her girls, they had smiles that reminded her of the times they needed to smile Bobby, acting that everything was fine.

Rumi especially still had one arm behind her back.

Weird.

Zoey decides to ignore it. “Anyway! June, this is…”

June chuckles. “Yes, Zo-zo, I know who they are! Me and half the world” she still takes her arm from around Zoey and extends her hand and smiles at them, with the enthusiasm and start-struckness of a fan in her eye. But she kept it at bay.

“I-t’s so great to meet you, really.” Even June stuttered when meeting Huntrix. Zoey cannot blame her.

Rumi and Mira still had that kind of tight smile. Rumi had one hand firmly behind her back. “Yeah, of course.” Then she said, without stopping smiling, the sound coming like she was gritting her teeth “It’s so nice to meet a fan and a friend of our Zoey”

Mira nodded, her face also with the plastered smile with teeth. “Yeah! It’s so nice to meet you”

June, clearly oblivious at the stiffness of the girls, continued, excited and nervous of meeting such idols. “Yeah, it’s so cool to meet Huntrix!” she then looked at Zoey and smiled. “And I can have bragging rights for being the art tutor of your maknae”

Rumi and Mira chuckles a bit awkwardly. Huh. They are usually way better at meeting fans even when it was during unexpected encounters.

Oh well, maybe they’re tired.

“Yeah, we are glad to meeting Zoey’s high-school *friend*” Rumi stressed the word *friend*.

Mira nodded, her smile equally stiff and voice strained. “Yeah! It’s just so *cool* to meet you here, in this street, in Seoul”

“Oh! That’s right!” she turned to June. “What are you doing here?”

June smiled, proud. “My team was hired by the city to design a new community park here”

Zoey clapped her hands. “That’s so cool! Oh, I want to hear everything! Do you have plans? When we can meet?”

June hummed. “Well, this night is my last free night, next I will be in meetings.” she said, a bit apologetic but then smiled. “Hey! But I’m free right now!” she said, shaking the bobba tea. “If that’s okay with you, of course!”

Zoey smiled. “Oh! Yeah” she turned to the girls. “But I already had plans with them to stick for the salon”

Rumi’s smile faltered, suddenly a thoughtful expression. “Oh! Well, it’s just a hairdresser appointment, you were going with us to, you know, make us company.” she gestured with her hand in the air weakly “You are already free for the day.”

Mira looked between June and Zoey, silent for a moment. Her eyes stayed on Zoey for a moment and said. “Yeah, it’s just salon stuff, we can meet after that.”

Zoey’s eyes brightened. “Really? Don’t you mind?”

Mira chuckled. “Don’t worry, Zoey. We don’t mind” she elbowed Rumi. “Right, Rumi?”

Rumi blinked and nodded, like a bobble-head. “Y-Yeah, you can catch up with your...friend” Rumi was stressing the word *friend* a lot.

Zoey clapped her hands happily and went to hug them. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll bring you something sweet, I promise”

Rumi and Mira automatically hugged her back.

“Just be back safe, that’s all we need” Mira whispered. Zoey’s toes literally curled. She loved her girls so much.

When Zoey turned to June, she was seeing them with a smile. The same one Zoey recognized when the other woman saw something Zoey thought she was hiding well. June then said. “Thank you” she then looked at Zoey. “Let’s go, you know the city better than me”

----

Rumi and Mira entered the salon, they waved at the crew warmly. The stylists were always happy to see them, and were very kind to them.

One of the stylists, greet them sweetly. “Girls! It’s so good to have you back” Seo-ah was always so warm and sincere.

The girls loved her.

The stylist looked around and asked. “Where’s Zoey?”

Mira shook her head. “Catching up with an old friend.”

After exchanging some hellos and some small talk, they entered the waiting area.

Rumi let herself fall on one of the comfy chairs. Mira sat next to her. “Hey, tiger, feeling all right?”

A sigh from Rumi. “Yes, I’m okay”

The redhead smirked. “Are you sure, that’s why you invoked your saber when June hugged Zoey”

Rumi blushed, her patterns now iridescent pink, and groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Ugh! Mira! It was just...instinct!”

The taller girl snorted. “Instinct, huh?”

The leader groaned and gave Mira the side-eye. “You were also jealous.”

Mira snorted. “I didn’t invoke an ancient magical weapon in order to stab my girlfriend’s old friend”

“I wasn’t going to stab her!”

Mira laughed. Rumi continued frowned but the Mira softened and kissed her softly and sweetly, taking advantage of the waiting room privacy.

“C’mon, tiger, you know our Zoey. She’s the sweetest, most loyal girl in the world.”

Rumi softened and leaned into Mira’s side, sighing happily when Mira wrapped her arm around her. “I know, I know. It’s just that...you know” she hide her face on Mira’s shoulder. “She’s our Zoey, and with the promo and the interview today, I just feel…”

“Protective?” Mira completed

A sigh. “Yeah.”

Mira nodded. “Yeah, I understand. It’s normal feeling like that. The important thing is just accepting the feeling and acting with your head when they surge.” She then smirked and teased Rumi. “Like not stabbing fans.”

Rumi groaned dramatically. She punched lightly Mira, with barely any force, and couldn’t help herself but giggle a bit. “I wasn’t going to stab her” she then pressed herself into Mira’s side and hid her face on her neck.

Mira snorted. “Yeah, yeah” but she put her arms around Rumi.

They were like that for a while, waiting to be called by the stylists.

Rumi then asked, softly. “Have Zoey even speaking to you about this June?”

Mira hummed. “Yeah, some time ago.” she exhaled. “She told me it was a senior that she looked up a lot, and made her feel less weird about her writing lyrics”

Rumi nodded softly. “Sounds like a good friend”

Mira nodded. “Yeah,” then smirked. “And I know what you’re thinking, but yes, she was *just* a friend”

Rumi blushed and grumbled something too low for Mira to hear but it was probably something along the lines of “shut up”. Mira gave her a peck on the lips.

Then a familiar beep came from Mira’s phone.

A very familiar, special kind of beep.

One that belonged to one application they used when they separated due to work, tour, or when they were hunting demons abroad.

There was a pause, Rumi said, slowly.

“Mira”

“Yeah?” Mira’s face betrayed nothing.

“Are you using Friends360 to track Zoey’s phone real live location?”

A beat.

“Mira?”

Mira grumbled.

“Maybe”

The leader had now a shit eating grin and sit up to look at Mira. “Oh! And I am the possessive one”

Mira’s composure broke, and she groaned and rolled her eyes, a clear blush giving away the tough act. “You aren’t the only one who feels protective, okay?” she grumbled.

“Oh! Protective. Yeah. Also, maybe, a little jealous” the purple-headed couldn’t hide the little grin.

Mira huffed. “Already told you June is just a friend! Just a friend!”

Rumi grinned wider. “We were also Zoey’s just friends”

Mira groaned loudly. “Yeah! Fine! I feel a bit...jealous” she said, reluctant to admit it. “Sue me!”

“I’m just some glad I’m not the only one that feels irrational stuff!”

Mira buried her face on her hands. “We both trust our Zoey, but yes, I’m jealous. Finding an old friend, Zoey hugging her…” she sighed “It’s hard, okay?”

Rumi softened and put a hand on Mira’s back, coaxing her into a half-embrace. “It is, but it’s just like you said. It’s doesn’t make us bad feeling jealous or irrational. The important thing is not to get...stabby”

Mira sighed but smiled, her shoulders relaxing. “Yeah, you’re right.” this time, she slumped against Rumi, feeling more calm with Rumi making circles with her hand on the redhead’s back.

After a while, Mira looked at her phone. “Should I just... cancel the location?”

The leader hummed, thoughtful. “I think it’s fine to leave it. She’s going to receive a notification, so it’s not like she doesn’t know.” she gave Mira a kiss on her temple, making her relax in her arms “If she rejects it, we don’t insist.”

Mira nodded. “Yeah, sounds like a good plan”

----

Zoey and June were in a cozy little hole-on-the-wall restaurant. The setting was private enough that the huntress with her hat easily was not recognized.

They asked for some drinks and Zoey took a moment to check her phone. She smiled when she saw the Friends360 notification. It was nice that the girls worried about her.

She tapped accept and turned her attention to June.

“So, June! What are you doing now! I heard you were like an architect or something.”

The girl chuckled. “Urban planner! And it’s been great. I funded my own business.”

Zoey clapped her hands, excited. “That’s what you always wanted! Congratulations!” she put a hand under her chin “And what you do exactly?

“Well, it’s an employed-owned consultant company and we give services to states and cities so they can make their cities more human-usable and instill functional public transpor-” June interrupted herself with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry, I’m giving you the elevator pitch!” she laughed.

Zoey joined the laugh. “Oh, it’s all right! I’m already sold!” she said, and smiled. “That sounds so cool June! You always wanted to create your own stuff!”

June shrugged but she had a proud grin. “Yeah, I’m just happy to do what I love.”

She then put her jaw on her hand. “So, how about you, Miss Zoey Huntrix. You are doing what you love and people around the globe sings your lyrics.”

Zoey grinned, proud and happy. “Oh! Well, Huntrix has been a dream come true, really. I’m just…” she couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. “So, so happy to share my passions, sing, doing what I love and the fans! Making happy the fans and the Hon...whole world” Zoey covered the slip. She cleared her throat to continue “and to do it with such great girls...it’s just” she sighed happily. “so great”

June’s smile softened. “That sounds amazing, Zo-zo. I’m just so happy that you have been keeping truth to yourself”

The waiter arrived with their drinks. After a quick thanks, Zoey started to play with the straw.

“That’s the thing…” she says, hesitant.

June drinks from the straw, waiting for Zoey to elaborate.

“...Remember the English teacher, Mister Green?”

June took a moment to swallow and nodded. “Yes, Mister Grumpypants”

Zoey chuckled. “You still call him that?”

June snorted. “You were the first to call him that” she shrugged. “Anyway, what about him?”

Zoey played with the straw of her drink, stirring the drink softly. “I...I remember one time that we were reading Poe. And he asked us to do, like, a poem as an extra-credits assignment.”

June hummed, and Zoey continued.

“Well, I remember that day I didn’t sleep at all because I had so many compositions in my head.” she said. “I was trying to create, like, this perfect poem. It was cliche, it was about light and darkness. But it felt so real you know?”

Zoey sighed. “When he brought it back to me after he marked it, I remember he wrote in red on the header of the paper” Zoey gestured with her hand, remembering vividly. “Clearly not used to English grammar patterns. Possible confusion with other languages rules. Overuse of metaphors’”

June’s jaw dropped. “He did what? Zoey! Zoey, you never told me”

Zoey sighed, and looked away. “I didn’t tell anyone because I was...ashamed. I always feel like I wasn’t, like, disciplined...or brave enough, to pick a side of me.”

June frowned. “What?! Pick a side?! How- what does it have to do with what he put on your poem.”

Zoey rubbed her eye. “It’s just like...I grew up in America. My first language was actually English. But I also learned Korean when I was like six or seven..”

“And still giving my best...and I realized how little I felt like I belonged truly somewhere. I was just for many the ‘Asian girl’ when I wasn’t being ‘the weird one’” she sighed. “Then I moved here, and now I’m just...the American girl! The one that sometimes the accent slips and...” Zoey covered her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry, June. I’m just dumping my stuff on you”

June waved her head. “No Zoey! You’re fine! I’m your friend, all right?” she said, and leaned forward. “Not matter how many time has passed, or you’re too important now for old, little June?”

Zoey chuckled, the shame she felt ebbing away. “Oh, shut up!”

June chuckled but then sobered and said. “No, but seriously, girl. Have something happened for you to feel like this?”

Before Zoey could reply, a ding on her phone. It was Bobby in their common chat group with the edited version of the interview and the caption: “My girls shinning as always” and a bunch of hearts and stars emojis. She replied in kind with stars emojis and multiple-colors hearts, just to be sure.

Zoey smile softened. “Bobby, you sweet goofball” she started the interview video and extended the phone to June. “It has to do with this”

---

Rumi and Zoey watched the interview together in the waiting area, while they were waiting for the treatment to take effect in their hair, soft towels on their heads.

“You’re so hot”

Rumi snorted but a light blush was on her cheeks. She always did that, secretly loving every time Mira gave her a compliment. “Look who’s talking, you have legs for days and with those shorts?”

“You’re such a perv!”

Rumi gasped, dramatically. “You’re the one that told me I’m hot!”

“I never said I never wasn’t a perv too”

“You’re such an asshole”

“Your asshole”

Rumi sighed and rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her face.

They continued watching the recording of the interview and exhaled in relief when they noticed that they kept their word.

“Zoey is so cute.” Rumi gushed.

“And hot.”

“Perv...but she is”

They continued watching, now the interviewer about a question on inspirations. “She answered that question really well. And to think she only had, like, four hours of sleep.”

Rumi has such a look of adoration in her eyes. “She’s a pro, like us.”

Mira sighed. “I hope she knows it.” when Rumi looks at her, Mira sighs and continue. “Sometimes she doubts herself and I don’t get it, like girl, not only our songs are known worldwide but you can supplex a demon.”

Rumi smiled. “I know. But hey, I think she’s better at listening to her instincts, and to her best self. Look how she shines here”

It was the question about using poetry to get inspiration for lyrics and how her process was for Con/nect.

Spirits, even in the same interview, Rumi and Mira couldn’t hide the look of absolute adoration and admiration for their maknae.

“We are not subtle, are we?” Rumi sighs with a lovesick smile.

“Nope!” the other girl said, sounding proud and in love.

Rumi sighed happily and then grabbed the remote control for the TV. of the waiting area.

“Let’s watch a movie while we wait for this to stick.” she says, pointing at the towels on their heads. “We can enjoy a movie without Zoey guilt-tripping us on watching videos about animals or something”

“She’s so dramatic when she had to wait for us” despite her words, Mira’s words were really fond.

They selected a simple mystery thriller, one of the first recommendations that popped out.

They were watching the screen in silent for a moment. During a montage in the movie, a dog-like creature came out trotting through some mountains.

“Cool wolf.” Mira murmured.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen a wolf like that before.” the leader squinted “Or if it’s even one.”

They were silent for a moment, watching the mystery-thriller.

After a while, another wolf-like thingy showed up in another montage with the protagonist. It was a slick composition, the canine howling with the woods behind.

“I bet Zoey would love that design for one of her skateboards”

Rumi continued to squint and then pulled out her phone, opening her search app.

---

After Zoey and June finished watching the interview, Zoey asked. “So, what does it feels like to have an exclusive before it airs.”

The brunette snorted. “Privileged” she deadpanned but then put a hand on her chin. “But I see…”

“Yeah...and this is the edited question. The original one was like ‘Did I need to make post-production’ or something like that.”

“Okay, rude.”

Zoey waved her hand. “It’s fine, they apologized and kept their word.” she sighed, pouting slightly. “But it made me think. Like...I chose to make the rap in Korean because the pace is slower. That I need these helps to sound better, like I belong somewhere...and sometimes I feel like I don’t know enough English! Like it happened with mister Grumpypants!”

“And why having an accent is a bad thing, exactly?”

Zoey blinked and blurted. “Because! I am a rapper! And a singer! If I don’t vocalize correctly, I’m doing a bad job! And the fans deserves the best!”

At that, June raised an eyebrow. “Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but everyone has an accent in every language.”

“But-but that’s not the point!”

She kept her eyebrow raised. “It’s absolutely the point. You’re saying that you don’t have a perfect accent, whatever that means, and I’m here, thinking ‘Did this girl attended the same high-school than me where we had people from east coat and the south?’ Did this girl did not receive classes with Miss Hernandez in Spanish lessons?”

June gave Zoey and look and continued. “Are you telling me that this doesn’t happen in Korea at all? Like, people that was born here and have lived their entire lives here, having different accents?”

Zoey blinked. “Well, o-of course! But-but that’s different!”

“How’s that different?”

Zoey sighed, frustrated. “Because! Because they...they belong!”

“And you don’t? You didn’t tell me, like, your mother was constantly taking you here for vacations with your grandpas. And you’ve been living here for how long? Seven, eight years?”

The singer put her hands on her face. “Ugh, stop being reasonable!”

“You want me to stop making sense, girl? Because it wouldn’t be the first time” she sighed dramatically. “Ah, this bring me memories”

Zoey pouted. “You’re being mean.”

Said ‘mean-girl’ wagged her finger. “I’m being right! And I’m being right for your own good”

Zoey groaned but she had a smile on her face.

“Girl” June started. “I heard the teaser for Con/nect. You sounded amazing. I don’t know much Korean, but what I’ve read online, people agree that you sound spot on!”

Zoey buried her face on her hands but couldn’t let out a giggle: “June!”

She ignored her. “And even if you didn’t, so freaking what? Who dictates where you belong? How you pronounce your ‘o’s and ‘r’s? We belong to the places that we love and protect, and they love us and protect us back.”

That made the singer pause and look up.

Zoey couldn’t help but remember her girls. Bobby. How fiercely they always were for her.

She smile shyly, but feeling the love for her girls, for Bobby, fill her with a warmth she sometimes forgot how to let her overtake her fears.

But she also worried, that her own language, her culture, would make a chasm with the girls.

However, before she could get into that rabbit hole, June derailed the conversation, teasing her with: “So, you’re dating the other girls.”

She felt her face extra hot and sputtered, her eyes wide in shock, looking around. “J-June!”

Zoey tried to keep a serious face. She really did. But she folded. She bit her lip and exhaled a goofy giggle. “Yeah” she then pointed at June “But you cannot tell everyone! We aren’t revealing that yet!”

June waved her hand. “Relax, girl. First, who would even believe me? The internet is full of people making those wild accusations with 'proofs' every day. And second, I have my own business to take care of. I don’t want that kind of attention over me.”

With that assurance, Zoey did relax, knowing that was true.

June then laughed. “I can’t believe the fan theories are true!”

“June! Fan theories? Are you paying attention to those?” Zoey really tried to sound accusatory.

The other woman snorted. “My husband is the one that shares them with me”

Zoey giggled. “What’s your favorite one?”

“If I have to pick one, it’s the fact that you three are just big cuddle bugs, that can’t live apart from each other”

“You big softie!” Zoey was sure she was blushing.

June chuckled and shrugged. “I am! But hey, are you sure those three will be okay with me snatching you for the evening”

The rapper made a *pfft* sound. “They’ll be fine! They are just doing going to the salon to protect their natural color. I just make them watch video of animals when I’m there, that’s all”

---

Rumi groaned, looking at her phone. “This photo app thing also didn’t help at all! It said it was a dog! And that thing is not a dog”

Mira sighed, frustrated, also with her phone out. “No luck for me either” she sighed. “I bet Zoey would know what that was”

The leader adjusted herself in the chair. “Right...she’s always, like, learning trivia…sharing it with us” she sniffed. “making cute doodles of them on her notebooks”

The redhead turned to her, alarmed. “Rumi...are you all right?”

Rumi was sobbing. “It’s just, Zoey is always with us...telling us cute animal facts...and she’s not here” she was now sobbing more loudly. Mira was starting to tear up. Rumi sniffed loudly. “And I just miss her.”Mira started to sob too. “I miss her too. She would know what that thing was.”

One of the staff entered, with a big smile, happy to see his favorite clients. “Hi girls! Are you ready for the third step-” however, he stopped, seeing both girls crying openly. He frowned and grabbed a box of tissues. “Oh no! Girls, are you all right?”

Mira wailed first. “Malik!, we miss Zoeeey. I want to see cute animal videos with her!”

“Oh! Sweet Zoey is not with you. Where’s she?”

Rumi wailed too. “She’s with an old friend, and now we don’t know if that’s a wolf or a coyote”

The redhead snatched a bunch of tissues and cleared her nose loudly.

Malik blinked again and looked at the screen, where there were just a man and woman talking now. “Oookay? I’m sorry...for not knowing?”

The girls wailed miserably. “WE MISS HER!”

He just went to them and patted their arms, trying to comfort them.

It did little to calm them.

---

Outside of the restaurant, at the back entrance to avoid the Zoey being recognized. June and the maknae were giving the final goodbyes. They hugged.

“It was so good to see you”

“Yeah girl! Give me a call if you ever come back to Seoul! And hey! I promise you, free concert tickets!”

“Thanks! Only if you at least think of calling when you’re in London”

“Ooh! You’ll be my first call!”

“Deal”

After she waved goodbye June, under the pretense that Zoey was going to wait for a special car. Zoey scaled a wall and starting going through zig zagging through rooftops and buildings.

This was way faster and more fun than just a wait car. Plus, good cardio!

On a particular tall building, she landed there, feeling the Honmoon vibrate, like if she threw a stone in a lake.

It was comforting. The new Honmoon was different in ways they were still discovering. But it was also more in tune with her and the girls. And, Zoey deeply believed, even more attuned with their fans.Zoey looked down and started thinking...and then she started to hum their new single.

And then...it came the part of the rap.

And she started the first to strophes, but she heard that it sounded wrong.

She clicked her tongue.

“C’mon”

The Honmoon vibrated softly, like encouraging her.

Okay

The magical barrier believes in her.

She tries again.

She’s flowing.

Every word, every verse is going well until...

“Shit” she feels slip up at the last one.

Maybe she did needed the post production.

Maybe she needed to hear the record again, maybe she was just surrounded by ‘yes, man’ (‘yes, ma’am’?) type of people.

No. She won’t doubt herself.

She sighed.

She remember Mira, how proud she was.

Rumi, how she stood up and clapped while Zoey was in the recording boot.

They believe in her.

She remember “What it sounds like.”

Let this meet the light. Jagged edges and all.

And she tries fully now.

The words coming.

In Korean, the language of her Halmoni, of her mom.

The language where she learned what Yoonseul meant, when she saw the sea for the first time in the coasts of California.

The language of her girls, the language in which they told her “I love you” for the first time.

It was hers.

And now, it will be for the world and her to rap.

The Honmoon glowed.

This was hers. Fully.

She didn’t need to prove it to anyone.

She just needed to release her colors to the light.

And that meant, talking with her girls.---

“WHAT?!”

Rumi looked over Mira’s shoulder and her patterns flared red.

The dancer stared at her own phone. “A HOTEL? WHAT...IS SHE WITH-”

“NO, MIRA, I DON’T THINK SHE’S CHEATING ON US BUT SHE MAY BE IN TROUBLE!”

She was already marching to the elevator, weapon already in hand. “Time to go and-” 

Rumi grabbed her wrist. “Wait, Mira, check the route! She’s...she wasn’t moving through the streets or roads” the was dot blinking on the map.

“It looks like she went through the buildings”

“What, could it be a bug? A glitch?”

“Maybe...or…she may be going over the buildings!”

Mira caught on. “She’s parkouring! What!”

“Look! Look! She’s moving again! She’s going to the...bakery?”

---

Zoey did stop at the bakery, because she promised her girls sweet stuff and she will bring it to them.

Thankfully, the cashier was busy counting money when she dropped from one of the rooftops.

---

Mira and Rumi waited both already in pajamas for her girl. They were waiting in the couch first but the eagerness to see Zoey won and they were now almost right in front of the elevator.

So when the doors opened, they were tackled by a very excited girlfriend that couldn’t wait to hug them anymore.

“I-missed-you-so-much-I-brought-sweets-gimmie-kisses” Zoey said really fast but flawlessly.

Mira and Rumi almost sobbed on the ground. “We missed you too.” And gave Zoey all the kisses she wanted.

Rumi pulled out her phone. “Zoey, is this a coyote or a wolf?”

“...Girls, that’s a fox”

Both Mira and Rumi sobbed for real. Zoey blinked and tried to pat her arms in comfort but they just hugged her harder.

Zoey had zero complains.

---

After they calmed and more kisses were exchanged, Zoey went quickly for a shower. She returned in a shirt that was from Mira and some shorts that were from Rumi.

They settled on the couch.

Zoey opened the box from the bakery, showing all the their favorite sweets.

Both Mira and Rumi gave her a kiss on the cheek at the same time.

“So...how was your dinner with July”

“June” Mira corrected with a snort.

“June!”

Zoey smiled. “Oh! June is great! Really, she’s the only bright spot of my time at high-school”

“I see” The leader’s nails were longer now, almost scratching the sofa.

Zoey blinked. “Rumi, why are your claws out?”

“Wait for bed and the safe word.” Mira murmured with a smirk.

“Mira!” Rumi blushed a deep red, her patterns lighting-up, and hid her hand behind her.

Zoey nodded with a big, wicked grin. “Yes! Please!”

Rumi hid her face. “Zoey! Not you too! I’m surrounded by pervs”

“Your pervs” Zoey said proudly and happily.

She and Mira both high-fived.

But the youngest one tilted her head. “But seriously, what has you so worked up?”

“Yeah, Rumi, why?” Mira asks with a smirk.

Rumi huffed. “I feel attacked...” but seeing that she couldn’t get out of that one she said. “Fine I was…” she blushed. “Jealous...of July.”

“June.”

“June.” Rumi mumbled.

Zoey blinked.

“Oh!” she the smirked, a very impish smile. “Oooh!”

Mira, because she was an absolute little shit when she wanted to, added “She even summoned her weapon, you know?”

Zoey cackled loudly while Rumi sputtered. “It was instinct! And you weren’t any better! You tracked her location”

“Way more sensible than trying to stab her, tiger”

“Mira, I swear…”

Zoey finally stopped laughing, cleaning a tear of laughter with her finger.

“Oh Rumi! Really? You were jealous? Rumi! You know that I only have eyes for both of you! Why would I want anyone else?”

Rumi smirked then, looking at Mira. “I don’t know, ask Mira who saw your location on top of a hotel and thought you were cheating on us.”

“WHAT?! MIRA!” and now Zoey started to howl with laughter.

Mira now was the one that sputtered. “I-it wasn’t like that!”

And Rumi smiled devilishly. “Oh, it absolutely was.”

“I thought she was kidnapped!”

“After you thought she was cheating on us!”

Zoey fell from the couch, still howling with laughter. “I- I was on the roof” Zoey said, between breaths of laughter. “Not even inside!”

Mira crossed her arms. “This is a targeted attack” she shook her head and turned. “I see, I guess I will sleep alone tonight.”

Zoey jumped from the floor and gave her a full hug. “Nooo! You know we love you, right Rumi?”

Rumi scooted over to Mira’s side instantly, and whispered near her ear “We love you very much...especially when you’re jealous”

Feeling Rumi’s breath made Mira’s spine tremble. “You’re playing with fire, princess.” but she turned around, letting Zoey and Rumi snuggle in close, each claiming a side.

Mira then started, softly. “But yeah, Zoey, what were you doing on top of a hotel?”

Zoey sighed. “I needed...to sing to the Honmoon. Feel the connection”

“It was because of the interview?” Mira nudge her softly.

Zoey was silent for a moment but then gave a tiny nod. “Yeah”

“Did you see the interview, Zoey?” Rumi asked.

Zoey nodded. “Yeah, you two looked, like, amazing”

"You too.”

“They kept their promise: they took out the first question”  Rumi said, her voice soft but serious.

Zoey hummed. “They did. That’s good.”

Mira asked, softly. “Are you...okay?”

Zoey sighed. “I confess that...I wasn’t...after the recording. Even with the new question…” she sighed, gathering her thoughts “When the guy bumped me? I’m not sure but I thought I heard him call me tourist, and that stung…because...”

Zoey looked away. “I’m a rapper. My job is to sound good, articulated, and fast. I *know* I sound like that in English but when I rap in Korean maybe...maybe I’m doing a bad job, that I’m letting the fans down, and letting you down...and maybe I’ve always sounded wrong...and I and I”

Rumi grabbed her hand. “Darling, breath”

Zoey stopped and took a deep breath. Mira pressed Zoey more into herself.

“Good girl” she murmured, giving her a kiss on the top of the head.

Rumi nodded. “You’re not letting us down, Zoey. You really, really sound amazing.”

Mira nodded. “Yeah, Zoey. You work, like, crazy hard every day. You practice, and you put your heart and soul. You care for the fans”

Rumi waved a hand through the air, lines of light vibrating around them.

“And the Honmoon agrees, you always give your one hundred percent”

Zoey relaxed. She believed them. Oh, spirits knew that she believed them with her heart.

But there was still a thing bothering her.

But like she promised herself, no secrets, she will let the colors meet the light.

All of them.

Zoey. “Have I ever told you of mister Green?”

They shook their head.

“At my English Literature class, we had this assignment to write a poem. When I received the poem back...he marked something about confusing my language because I also spoke Korean...”

But Zoey know felt...more comfortable, telling why it did hurt so much.

“Kevin Johnson –another kid in the class– also saw what mister Green wrote on my poem, and he, well he made fun of me, speaking in English to me with an accent…”

Rumi positively grumbled, a deep sound, and Mira seemed ready to punch anything. But Zoey reached for her hands. She clasped Mira’s first and then reached over Mira to clasp Rumi’s. She wanted to get it out of her chest an not let her girls get carried out.

“I wasn’t...well, I didn’t shine at school.” she shrugged timidly “Sports may sometimes being good for me, but I was too small for the boxing team. Math here and there...but art? Language? Poems? That’s what I knew I was good at. And having Mister Green telling me that was a lot.” she sniffed.
“And that’s why...sometimes, especially when I rap, something that I dearly love, I feel like I have to give my best. And when I don’t meet the standards, then what am I good for?”

“Oh, Zoey”

Rumi stood up and snuggled Zoey on her other side, Mira turned to snuggled her fully from the back.

“You have to know you’re the best right”

Zoey sighed. “I know you two believe that but sometimes...I feel that maybe there’s this chasm that we don’t see due to language...”

Mira and Rumi exchanged a glance.

Rumi started, gentle. “Zoey…” she waited for the maknae to meet her eyes and continued. “do you feel less connected with me or Mira because English is not our first language.”

Zoey blinked.

“No! Of course not! Your English is like, so good.”

Rumi crossed her arms, feigning skepticism. “Really? Even when sometimes I have a hard time pronouncing ‘unquestionably’” she says, making the pronunciation strong on purpose.

Zoey blinked. “What?! Rumi! That doesn’t matter! How can you say that?”

Mira also said, dramatic, turning, and giving Zoey her back. “Whoa, I can’t believe our girlfriend is a snob. Do you, like, hate me if I don’t say ‘asked’ correctly or something?”

Zoey squeaked and turned to Mira. “What! No! Mira, how are you going to think that?”

Mira gave her a look.

Rumi just waited with a patient smile.

And then…

Zoey felt something felt click in her brain. Almost literally.

“Ooh”

Rumi gave her a peck on the lips. “There you go, darling”

Mira hummed, smirking but still giving Zoey her back and crossing her arms. “Good one, Rumi” she praised, Rumi’s patterns even flushed in delight at the praise. “Yeah, Zoey, we don’t know how hot is 53 Fahrenheit”

“Well, it’s actually rather cold”

Rumi made an error-buzzer sound. Mira shook her head. “Nope! I cannot understand it. Alas, it seems our relationship is doomed to fail”

Zoey groaned. “C’mon!”

The other two girls laughed. Zoey pouted.

“You’re being meanies.”

“Aah! Zoey, you look so cute even when you pout.” Rumi cooed while Mira snickered.

Zoey just turned completely, face to the couch, giving her back to Rumi and Mira.

Rumi and Mira exchanged a look and smiled.

“Zooey! We want to see your face. We are sorryyy” Rumi said, dramatically.

“No! You’re being mean” Zoey protested, muffled voice due to the couch but there was an small smile on her face.

“We are very sorry, Zoe” Mira said, her toe dry, but then with a small smile, she added. “What do we need to do for you to forgive us?”

Zoey hummed, making like she was thinking hard. She turned and crossed her arms. “I want kisses.”

Rumi smiled, delighted, her patterns a soft, luminous pink. Mira rolled her eyes, but her soft smile and eyes gave away the fact that she loved every time Zoey asked her for kisses.

The first that leaned in was Rumi, who gave her a sweet, soft kiss on the cheek. “I love you” she said to her ear. “We love you so much, my darling, you don’t have any idea how much.”

When Rumi leaned back, Mira cupped Zoey’s cheek, looked at her in the eyes and said. “I love you” and gave her a long kiss.

Then, when they broke the kiss, Mira said, still hovering over her lips. “You’re the most important person in our lives, babe”

Zoey was blushing a deep read and positively glowing, but she had wide smile on her face.

Mira and Rumi took each hand of Zoey’s in theirs.

“Zoey, we are connected through the Honmoon, through our fans but also through our love. There’s no barrier that can keep us from you” Rumi kissed her knuckles.

Mira did the same.. “You and Rumi are my family, Zoey. There’s nothing that could keep us apart”

This time, Zoey’s eyes glistened but it was from a relief of a burden that was finally off.

She sniffed.

“I love you too, with my whole heart and soul.”

And she hugged them.

And she felt it.

Their warmth, the soft hum of the Honmoon, and her heart.

In her heart, in the air, the Honmoon vibrating softly but happy, a harmony unique to them.

No doubts.

Just colors meeting the light.

---

In bed, Mira was on her phone. Rumi could see her screen.

“Mira, you cannot stalk his teacher on Bookface... he doesn’t have an account, I checked.”

“Girls, I want cuddles. Plot vengeance later,” Zoey said, rubbing her eye.

Mira instantly folded and pressed herself against Zoey’s back. “Of course, sweetie.”

Rumi also folded instantly. She faced her and snuggled closer. “Whatever you want, my darling.”

Zoey really did not lament her life’s choices at all.