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the title of the nation’s biggest star isn’t claimed by irene, but in a room full of the best artists, no one would dare take it. irene sits in her dressing room with a curious gaze plastered on her face, her invitation to the shon family’s charity concert is being held with two fingers as her eyes trace the elegant calligraphy etched onto the cardstock. the paper carries a faint powdery scent, almost subtle enough to go unnoticed but brings a pleasant smile to her face. whoever sent this invitation certainly cares enough about details that for once, irene considers accepting the invite.
it’s for charity, it wouldn’t look good on her if she rejected the invite.
casting a glance at her manager, she draws a slow breath, “tell wendy shon i will be attending.”
when december rolls around, the ever-so prestigious shon family holds their annual charity concert. it’s never a quiet affair, both artists and guests would be honored to receive an invite, especially when each invite is personally signed by the heiress of the family.
wendy shon knows each and every guest on her list, each one meticulously researched in the name of fostering better relations with her family. this is her first year taking over the planning and preparations for the concert and even without her parents mentioning it, she’s well aware that it’s a test to see if she’s capable enough to take on more of the family’s responsibilities.
with ample preparation and countless nights agonizing over the most minute of details, wendy is able to look carefree on the day of the concert. can anything go wrong? absolutely, but she’s planned for them all. failure isn’t an option, let alone a thought. after years of galas and events, socializing has become second nature to her. she greets her guests with a warm smile, engages in small talk and whatnot.
naturally, it’s only courteous if she greets her performers as well. she goes door to door, bearing gift bags holding luxury snacks specially chosen for each artist and irene is just another artist. two quiet knocks on the door is accompanied by a soft response, beckoning the heiress in.
in the short few seconds it takes for the door to swing open, irene waits in anticipation. ever since she received the invite, the name wendy shon has stuck with her. the most irene has learnt is that she’s the heiress of the family, social media searches proved futile and what limited pictures the internet could offer are much too old to judge. so wendy shon has remained a mystery for weeks, the excitement to put a face to her name thrills the star.
“irene-nim? it’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is wendy.”
irene bae pops up from her seat, the blanket in her lap slips to the floor as she bows to greet the heiress. her mind goes blank because of all the situations she envisions herself to be in when meeting her, this is not one of them. to be fair, the default reaction anyone has when meeting her for the first time is pure unbridled excitement, so she expected wendy to have a similar reaction. she’s sorely unprepared for such a formal greeting and fumbles over her response.
“hello wendy, it’s an honor to meet you.”
honor? what the hell is she talking about? irene cringes internally as she rises to her full height, meeting the eyes of the mistress of the shon family. again, she catches a faint whiff of the same powdery scent that lingered on her invitation card — wendy shon’s signature scent.
dressed in a simple white gown, the heiress exudes an unsaid elegance that draws irene’s attention immediately. she’s gorgeous, and it almost makes irene wonder if that’s why there are barely any pictures of her online. the shon family may be charitable but perhaps they draw the line at sharing their daughter’s beauty.
wendy’s lips curve into a small smile, “i should be honored instead. thank you for accepting my invitation, i’ve been told that you have a tendency to turn down private events.”
“it’s hard to turn down a charity event, don’t you think?” irene attempts a light joke but the heiress merely responds with a polite nod, one that tells the star that this interaction is merely for appearances.
oh sure, wendy has seen her numbers, heard her songs on the radio over and over again, but at the end of the day, she’s just another guest.
“of course, i still wish to thank you for taking the time to show up. i’ve prepared some snacks for you, and i hope they’re to your liking.”
a gift bag is slipped into her hands and irene catches a glimpse of the box peaking through the opening, a logo that is all too familiar. wendy takes her leave with a polite bow after wishing the idol good luck, and irene can barely utter a ‘thank you’ before she’s gone.
a small frown appears on her face as she frees the snacks from its neatly packed confines, how the hell did wendy shon know what her favourite snack is? being a star as popular as her has its downsides, anything she mentions even for the briefest of moments has a likely chance of going viral, so she’s been careful to keep this bakery’s name a secret. it goes as far as telling her fans that she doesn’t particularly enjoy sweet treats or baked goods.
not only has wendy shon found out about her little secret, did she specifically get someone to fly over to another country just to bring back a box of pastries?
a scoff slips from irene, consider her impressed. for someone who doesn’t seem too interested in her, wendy seems to know a lot about her and irene is bent on uncovering more about this mysterious heiress.
before irene can do any sort of investigating, she still has a show to put on. people have said she was born for stardom, and it’s hard to disagree when the roaring cheers almost drown out the backing track.
irene struts onto the stage, the corner of her lip lifts to reveal her signature smirk, she owns the crowd and she knows it. her dance moves are trained and precise, each movement of her body down to her very fingers is executed flawlessly. she shows the crowd exactly why the world loves her, drawing fans in with her alluring vocals.
she’s given a brief moment to speak between songs, and even then, the cheers are deafening. her eyes skim over the crowd while she waits for them to settle, not exactly searching for anyone in particular but they do land on a familiar face.
unlike the rest of the crowd who looks up at her with adoration, wendy shon is seated in one of the boxes above with the same polite expression. there is barely a hint of enjoyment let alone adoration. irene had assumed that she was invited because the heiress was a fan but she’s quickly realizing that perhaps, wendy did not care about her at all. her presence alone would draw in many fans to donate to a worthy cause, and maybe that is it.
the idol brings a finger to her lips, silencing the crowd in one swift motion. she locks eyes with the heiress and finally — a quirk of her brow, she catches her interest.
“before i get on with the next song, i’d like to thank miss shon for inviting me here tonight,” irene’s airy voice fills the hall, and it echoes in her ears because of how silent everyone is, reminding her that even if it’s wendy shon’s event, this is still her stage. the extended silence makes her pause a little longer, picking her words with extra caution, “tonight has been wonderful, and i’d like to make it a little more special. this next song is still a work in progress, so miss shon, i’d like to know what you think of it.”
the lights dim and instantly, the crowd erupts in cheers. a change in the setlist sparks excitement, but at the back of her mind, wendy is hoping the idol doesn’t pull any other stunts that would derail the concert.
the music starts and the spotlight is right on the idol, and the heiress soon forgets that worry. without a choreography or back up dancers, the only thing to focus on is irene and irene alone. her voice captivates all, including the young mistress who is briefly interrupted by her assistant.
irene has decided to turn down any sort of remuneration, and on top of it, they’ve just received a thirty thousand dollar donation from an anonymous donor.
sure, wendy can’t prove it, but she knows that donation came from the idol that can’t seem to look away from her.
irene teases a new song at the shon family’s annual charity concert!
dedicating the new song to the family’s heiress, the singer enthralls the audience with her siren-like singing, setting new fundraising records for the annual charity concert.
that’s just one of the many articles that are flooding the internet the day after the concert and the impact of the popstar ripples in every aspect of wendy’s week. the charity concert goes much better than she could ever hope for, setting a record high for donations the first year she takes over for planning is enough to solidify her parents’ trust in her. given irene’s popularity, she’s instantly thrown into the spotlight because the world wants to know who wendy shon is and why she seems to have captured the idol’s attention.
netizens won’t find any dirt on her — even if there’s an article of her committing a crime, not that she would, it would be wiped within a day. the attention hardly bothers the heiress, she knows the buzz will fade in a week or two but there is one thing that lingers — irene.
it wasn’t necessary for her to single out wendy during the concert, in fact, if it had been her parents hosting the concert, they would have spoken to the idol’s manager immediately. but the heiress is more amused than upset, and she guesses it’s a ploy to gain her attention, though for what reason exactly? she’ll have to find out.
you would think getting the number of a superstar with a million fans would be difficult but it’s a walk in the park for wendy. the mere mention of her family name is enough to get anything she desires, and while she tries to not misuse it, it does come in handy every once in a while.
the line rings once, then twice and connects before the third ring.
“hello? who is this?”
wendy responds with a light smile, “you dedicated a song to me three nights ago, did i mean that little to you?”
a pause, “wendy shon,” irene breathes, “figured you’d call soon enough.”
“really now?” the heiress hums, “should i let you guess what i’m about to say?”
“my gut feeling says you’re about to thank me for helping you pull off such a successful fundraiser so i’ll be modest and say you’re welcome.” the idol’s tone falls somewhere between playful and bratty, unlike the stoic demeanour the public is used to seeing.
“is that all?”
an invite, a challenge, irene can’t quite place the intention behind the heiress’ words but it wouldn’t matter. “no, of course not. that’s far too simple for someone like you, i’d say you know a restaurant where they have a year-long waitlist but you’ll get us a table for this friday night.”
she hears a soft hum in response, and she wonders if she’s pushed it too far. her interactions with the wealthy and elite have been minimal, perhaps there’s some etiquette when it comes to talking to them that she’s unaware of.
to her relief, wendy speaks. “if all you wanted was for me to take you out, you didn’t have to donate thirty thousand dollars.”
a flush rushes to irene’s cheeks, “i was told it would be kept anonymous.”
“it was, but you’ve just confirmed my guess.”
“is that why you called?”
“you’ll find out on friday,” wendy says easily, “i’ve sent the details to your manager, don’t stand me up, i don’t take kindly to rejection. i’ll see you then, irene.”
to think that irene could ever feel flustered when she’s typically the one making her fans swoon by just existing, what a treat. her call with the heiress leaves a brilliant shade of red on her ears and that even if she tries to mask it, it would be futile. her manager confronts her instantly when she returns to the recording booth.
“you interrupted one of the best takes to set up a date with wendy shon?” manager kim has been by her side since she debuted, and she’s become more of an older sister figure to her. she knows everything there is to know about the idol, and there are practically no secrets between them.
“get me a nice dress, will you?” irene sighs, “i’m convinced she’s immune to my charms.”
“right, so we’re getting a dress to show off your other charms?” manager kim taps away on her phone, rearranging schedules to fit the star’s abrupt dinner plans.
“if she doesn’t take me home on friday, you’re getting fired.”
a backless black dress that exposes more skin than any goddamn article of clothing she’s ever worn sounds great when she’s in the warmth of her dressing room, but the regret is instant when irene steps into what feels like the coldest winter night she’s ever experienced.
she has half the mind to curse out her manager, and by extension, her stylist, but she did ask for this and hell, she does look real fucking good.
the restaurant that wendy picked out far exceeded her expectations, with three michelin stars to its name; its waitlist extends far beyond the requested year-long period. it’s a small, dimly lit restaurant with no more than five tables, offering an intimate dining experience.
wendy shon sips on a glass of red wine, a white blazer hangs loosely off her shoulders as she watches the superstar shiver her way into the restaurant. for all the confidence and control she has on stage, she’s the exact opposite when she’s not performing.
the heiress stands, waving away the host with a single motion of her hand. she pulls the chair out for irene, guiding the popstar into her seat and slips her own jacket over her freezing frame. irene considers rejecting wendy’s polite gestures but a small voice in her brain refuses to give this comfort up, so she thanks the heiress softly.
sliding back into her seat, wendy leans back with a light smile. her eyes casually roam over irene’s outfit, not even bothering to hide the fact that she is indeed staring. it’s natural for an idol like her to draw all the attention in the room. it’s almost a given that she looks good, it is part of her job, after all.
“would you like some wine?” the heiress offers once she pulls her gaze to meet the idol’s, “it’ll warm you up.”
how could irene say no? even when her alcohol tolerance levels are near zero, it seems impossible to deny the lady before her of anything she requests.
their waiter is waved over and a glass of century-old wine is poured into a glass for her. wendy does mention the name of it but there’s a reason why irene chose the path of stardom instead of becoming a socialite. it’s much easier to memorize song lyrics than the names of obscure bottles of old wine. raising their glasses, the two make a silent toast while waiting for their appetizers to be served. they maintain a brief moment of silence, not long enough to be awkward but certainly enough to build anticipation between the two.
“so why did you call me, miss shon?” irene dares to ask once she feels the effects of the smooth red wine kicking in, “i’ve been left curious for the past two days.”
“and i’ve been left curious for the past week as to why you decided to dedicate a new song to me,” wendy retorts easily, leaning her cheek onto her hand that rests comfortably on the table, “you wanted my attention, and now you’ve got it. and i prefer going by seungwan though.”
“seungwan?” irene tries her name, it feels strange, almost as if it doesn’t feel right for her to speak it.
“that’s me,” wendy hums, “i think it helps keep things a little more casual, though you don’t need to feel obligated to share your name.”
the idol extends her hand out, “it’s joohyun, but i think you already know.”
clasping her hand in a firm handshake, wendy bobs her head, “oh, your fans make it too easy, but i rather stick to the old ways and find out for myself. so, are you going to answer my question?”
joohyun mulls over her answer, biting the inside of her cheek as if it’ll help her think. “is it too much to say i wanted to get to know you better?”
a bright, yet gentle laugh escapes the heiress. amusement tints her expression and she gives the idol a few slow nods, “you threw me right in the sights of journalists and your fans, only to tell me you want to get to know me better? you can do better than that, joohyun.”
“well forgive me, it’s not every day i fall for an attractive heiress.” the idol blurts, and thankfully for her, the appetizers arrive before seungwan fully realizes what she’s just said.
the heiress doesn’t make joohyun repeat her words, instead, she graciously changes the topic to one that would be infinitely more comfortable. though, make no mistake, she keeps that line in her memory, looping it as each course is served to them.
“have you thought of a title for your song yet?”
the idol shakes her head, “we’re still finalizing some of the lyrics, what did you think of it?”
“you’ll certainly have another hit on your hands, i look forward to your next album.” seungwan says as she takes a bite of her food, almost as if she isn’t talking to someone with multiple award-winning songs.
in that moment, joohyun feels an inexplicable urge to prove herself, prove her worth and make seungwan fall for her. maybe it’s her nonchalance that draws joohyun, but all she wants is to have the heiress wrapped around her finger.
the conversation remains relatively light throughout dinner, the two share a little about themselves and their lives. anyone who glances at them would assume that they’re on a date but they would vehemently deny it. by her second glass of wine, joohyun laughs a little too loud at every little quip that comes out of seungwan’s mouth. her laughter helps the heiress loosen up a little, but she decides to call it a night before joohyun starts an unwanted scandal.
“i’ll give you a lift,” seungwan says to her as they exit the restaurant, it’s not a question since she hardly expects joohyun to reject her. however, she has a slew of counters prepared in the event that she does.
joohyun pulls seungwan’s jacket closer around her body, hesitating a little, “i have to warn you that there’s a very likely chance we’ll be photographed by my stalkers, and by lunchtime, we’ll be someone’s topic of gossip.”
the heiress scoffs, “do you think i care about what other people have to say? get in the car.”
of course, seungwan already has her car pulled up to the front and after some urging, she does manage to get joohyun in. her driver already has the idol’s address, so the car ride starts off relatively silent with joohyun staring out the window. whizzing past the empty streets, the star breaks the silence with an abrupt question.
“how did you know about the bakery?”
seungwan glances at her, quirking a brow, “bakery? what are you talking about?”
“the bakery in japan,” irene drawls, still reeling from the buzz of alcohol, “how’d you know i love their pastries?”
“would you believe it if i said it was a pure coincidence?” seungwan lies smoothly, as if she didn’t specifically go out of her way to get them.
“yeah right, must’ve been my damn manager,” joohyun mutters with a lazy smile, “god, i could really go for one of their croissants right now.”
“like we didn’t just finish an eight course dinner?” seungwan sighs dramatically, “say the word and we can hop on my jet.”
joohyun laughs at her urgency, and raises her hands to stop the heiress, “easy, i have a photoshoot tomorrow, and my schedule’s packed till next fall. if you want me, you gotta wait your turn.”
the heiress chuckles softly, and in joohyun’s tipsiness, she misses the hint of danger within it. seungwan knows she can easily offer her company a deal of a lifetime just to free her schedule but that would be equivalent to caging a bird, where’s the fun in that?
so, she’ll wait.
when the car pulls up just outside the entrance of her apartment building, joohyun gathers her things and prepares to step out but seungwan is one step ahead of her. she isn’t even aware of when seungwan exited the car but it feels as if she blinked and suddenly, the heiress is opening the door for her.
should the young mistress of the shon family be opening doors for anyone? absolutely not. in fact, she’s used to having doors opened for her. but these chivalrous gestures have always come from some place innate, and seungwan extends a hand out to joohyun.
the idol accepts her hand, stepping out of the car and back into the cold winter night. a gentle breeze hits them as seungwan walks her all the way to the gate and joohyun remembers just how much colder she would’ve been without the blazer around her.
“keep it,” seungwan stops joohyun before she even says a word, “i can have my assistant pick it up any time.”
joohyun blinks, “are you sure?”
“yes, now go home, it’s late.” a warm smile that makes joohyun swoon appears on the heiress’ face.
if this isn’t the first time they’ve gone out together, or if she hadn’t noticed a hooded figure lingering in her peripheral vision, maybe joohyun would’ve dared to plant a small kiss on her cheek. their reputations are on the line and there will be consequences that neither of them can bear.
so, she chooses the safer route. she thanks seungwan for dinner, and her jacket, promising that she’ll return it soon. not even a hug is exchanged as they part ways, but she returns home, feeling a fuzzy warmth within her chest.
seungwan, on the other hand, has other matters on her mind. her pretence of nonchalance holds up until she returns to the car. dinner went well, she had fun, but the threat that appeared towards the end of their night? that has to be eliminated.
she has her driver make a turn and pull up in front of a bench across the street. irene’s stalker, a woman in a hood that has been lingering even before joohyun had been dropped off. seungwan spotted her as the car pulled up to the entrance but she opted to not bring it to joohyun’s attention.
the camera with a comically large lens rests in the stalker’s lap and seungwan masks her disdain with her lips pressed into a thin line. what seems harmless to most people feels like a threat to her. she rolls down the window, staring down the stalker with a glare.
“name your price, i won’t ask twice.”
with the requested sum paid in cash, the SD card is securely tucked away into her purse, and she ensured that no pictures remained in the internal storage of the camera. it’s strange how money is the root of her problem, yet it so easily solved it.
december passes by in a blur, irene’s schedule is packed with practice sessions for upcoming award shows and working on her album that’s set to be released before next spring. a full week goes by without any calls or texts from seungwan. maybe this is how seungwan intends for them to be — mere acquaintances.
if there’s anything joohyun has learnt from her years of being an idol, it’s that not all opportunities are given freely, some have to be taken by force.
and her best attempt to start a conversation with seungwan?
‘cwosant’
one word, followed by one picture. one close up selfie of the superstar biting into a croissant. that’s it.
if she posted something like this on social media, there would be a thousand likes within a minute. instead, she’s left waiting for a reply for an entire day, constantly checking her phone to see if she’s even texted the right person. a message comes in in the late afternoon, just as the sky is beginning its transition into night.
‘?’
so much for the shon family being philanthropists, joohyun clicks her teeth sharply upon seeing the heiress’ reply after almost eight hours. she couldn’t even afford to respond with more than a single punctuation? that’s awfully stingy.
she stares at the blinking text cursor for ages, until she manifests a proper response into existence. her eyes go from dull to alert the moment she sees seungwan typing in their chat.
‘offer still stands if you want fresh croissants instead.’
the excitement is instantaneous, and her response is immediate. a little too quick that she holds off on sending the message for a couple of minutes so that it doesn’t seem like she’s been waiting all day for a reply.
‘wish i coild’
‘have award show tomorw’
she clicks her phone off, content to merely get a response after waiting for an entire day. maybe she’ll get another reply when she wakes up tomorrow. a vibration from her phone proves her wrong within seconds.
‘do you need a new phone? what is with these typos?’
‘it’s jst how i text’
‘nothin wrong wit it!!’
‘i think i prefer talking to you in person.’
‘then take me out again’
‘now you can text properly, huh?’
‘i’ll think about it.’
‘:(‘
‘think fsster’
‘you were the one who told me to wait.’
‘i tske it bakc’
‘you’ll see me soon enough.’
‘good luck with your show, i’m rooting for you.’
then seungwan goes offline and manager kim is peering over her shoulder.
joohyun almost jumps out from her seat, clutching her phone close to her chest to prevent more prying. “yah! how long have you been here?”
“i knocked, twice in fact,” manager kim sighs, “what are you trying to do with that rich girl, hyun?”
joohyun looks away from her manager, dropping her hands to her sides, “nothing, we’re just friends.”
skeptical of her intentions but deciding to leave her be, manager kim accepts her flimsy excuse. though, a warning feels necessary, especially when they’re working on her comeback album.
“just be careful, you got lucky last time. wendy shon won’t be swept under the rug so easily.”
last time? last time, people should’ve just kept their damn mouths shut. joohyun holds back her scorn, knowing fully well that it’s simply how things are in the entertainment industry.
the last time irene had a dating scandal was years ago, it almost ruined her entire career. if it weren’t for a stroke of luck that her song went viral, she wouldn’t be here today.
since then, dating has been off the books. plus, her career keeps her busy enough that it’s hard to justify giving anyone her time.
until seungwan.
you’ll see me soon enough.
award show after award show, irene gets through them all and god, she loves being at the top. she loves bagging award after award, she loves stepping out onto the stage, with the heat of the lights beating down on her, with the roar of the crowd in her ears — it’s what she lives for.
but in the moments she’s trying to catch her breath between songs, her eyes drift towards the crowd. there are hundreds of fancams of her staring lovingly into each camera she spots but little do they know, her intentions lie elsewhere. she seeks out one person who she knows is unlikely to be in that crowd, and… well, it’s silly, she knows, but what’s the harm in doing it?
flowers are waiting for her in her dressing room after her performance, perhaps some fans sent them, it is christmas after all. a bouquet of flowers she could not name rests on her dresser, they exist in ranges from white to baby blue, forming a pleasing ensemble. a card is hidden behind some petals and she knows exactly who sent these flowers.
‘merry christmas x’
the card is left unsigned, but it doesn’t matter. the handwriting exposes the sender, and the faint powdery scent that lingers on it further confirms it.
joohyun is one step short of asking her fans what it means when a pretty girl sends her flowers. and the main thing that makes her giddy with excitement?
‘x’
one small, inconsequential letter. a kiss? well, forgive her mind for going places.
of course, seungwan receives a picture from the idol. an exclusive picture, unseen by her fans and specifically taken for seungwan.
joohyun is holding the bouquet up with a large smile that made it seem like getting the flowers triumphed over winning multiple awards.
even with a perfect view of the eiffel tower before her, seungwan’s eyes are focused on her phone. the new picture she gets is hard to ignore and she’s quick to reply this time.
‘like them?’
‘yes!! thank u n mery xmas too!!!’
‘good, i would’ve liked to be there in person but i’ve got some matters to attend to.’
‘it hought u could make anything happn’
‘unfortunately, i can’t teleport across the globe.’
seungwan lifts her gaze, raises her phone towards the wonder of a structure that stands tall before her and takes a shot.
‘paris without me??’
‘tak e me next time’
‘free up your schedule then.’
‘that’s literally impossible’
‘i have a world tour next year’
‘u’d have to meet me at every country’
‘every country? i fear you’ll tire of me.’
‘we’ll see abut tht’
‘wanna come? at least for the first stop?’
‘i can get you front row’
‘front row for you or me? because it sounds like you really want to see me instead.’
joohyun goes silent and seungwan can only speculate what is happening on the other side of the world. she decides it’s enough teasing for the day and cuts the idol some slack.
‘send me the dates and i’ll be there.’
‘yayy :D’
sometimes, a slippery slope guises itself as an idol who texts like the backspace button is a myth. seungwan stands on the precipice, enticing danger to come for her.
the long-awaited comeback of the superstar is announced a day after the new year, alongside a world tour with stops in every region. fans are thrilled, though many anticipated such an announcement considering her surprise song at the recent charity concert.
her album is coming along nicely, all that’s left are some finishing touches and joohyun can fully focus on choreography. except, she’s hit a block, a self-imposed one at that. joohyun doesn’t know how many times she’s recorded the song she sang for wendy shon but it never seems to sound right. they’ve gone through multiple versions of the melody, they’ve changed lyrics over and over again but it lacks something and her producer is losing patience as the days go by.
irene works on it day and night, trying to figure out a solution to a problem that exists off a feeling. she gives in at two in the morning one night, sleep deprived and beyond frustrated. she’s all alone in the recording studio and she just wants a second opinion. everyone she knows is sound asleep now so she tries to call the heiress, the only one she knows who could potentially be awake, at least that’s what she tells herself.
seungwan picks up after a few rings, almost surprised by joohyun’s calling. and joohyun is surprised she’s even picked up.
“it’s late, is something the matter?” her voice is calm, tinted with warmth and exactly what joohyun needs as she sinks into the couch with a small sigh.
“i need help with my song,” joohyun murmurs, “it’s been driving me insane because i can’t put my finger on what’s missing.”
“the one you sang at the concert?”
“yeah, what did you really think of it? is it… you know, missing something?”
“i’m not sure i’m the one you should be asking,” seungwan’s laugh flows through the line, “but other than the title, i enjoyed it, i think your voice suits it well.”
the idol draws a deep breath, the corners of her lips curving up into a relieved smile. at least there’s one person who enjoys it. “you’re not lying to me so you can hang up quicker, are you?”
“do i act like that kind of person?” seungwan sighs, “no, i am not lying.”
joohyun doesn’t hold back her giggle, “not at all, but you hardly know me, you’ve no reason to pick up my call at two in the morning.”
“well, lucky you, my flight got delayed so i’m still stuck in paris.” a soft hum slips from the heiress, “this song is keeping you up?”
joohyun groans, pinching the bridge of her nose, “it’s been keeping me up, maybe i’m overthinking things but even my recordings don’t sound good enough to be used.”
“let me hear it.”
“the recordings?”
“after you sang live for me?” seungwan chuckles, “i have standards, joohyun.”
that’s how everything falls into place, and her place is in the recording booth at two in the morning. her phone sits on the music stand, still connected to a call with wendy shon, above sheets of lyrics that have gone through hell and back with all the changes and annotating she’s done. she doesn’t even look at them when the music plays in her headphones.
she knows the lyrics she wants to sing, so that’s what she does, letting her voice close the distance between the two of them. the timer of the call continues to tick away — the increasing numbers are the only indicator that she’s not alone, and seungwan is still listening.
before she knows it, it’s done, she’s recorded yet another take and she knows this is the one that’s going onto her album.
pushing back her headphones, joohyun releases a soft breath, searching for the reassurance she needs.
“how’s that?”
“perfect, perhaps even better than the first time i heard it.”
“then… name it.”
“it’s your song, joohyun,” seungwan says, though joohyun pictures her with an amused smile all too vividly.
“it’s two in the morning, just give me something so i can go home.”
“fine, let’s keep things simple,” seungwan hums, “how’s ‘summer rain’?”
“perfect.”
the microphone will pick up seungwan’s muffled voice, and irene will keep their exchange in the final version, an interlude just for her. it’s just how it’s supposed to be. what the song lacked didn’t lie in its sound or its lyrics, she just needs the right listener.
irene takes the charts by storm upon the release of her second album, between interviews and recordings and everything in between, she barely has enough time to eat, let alone sleep, maintaining any sort of normalcy is out the window.
she’s too busy to even think of seungwan, until her fans start doing a little digging behind the outro of summer rain. to protect seungwan’s privacy, her pitch was shifted, but that didn’t stop people from reversing it and questioning who is speaking.
that’s all it takes for the song to go viral — irene won’t address any allegations but seungwan’s privacy is another matter.
‘heyy, i’m not sure if u heard tje news.. if u need me to delete the outro i will’
joohyun doesn’t even notice the six hours between her text and seungwan’s reply this time because she just went from a hellishly early broadcast to an interview on a fellow idol’s show to a fan sign with her fans and—
she finds herself hooked to an IV drip when she comes to consciousness. her eyes take a moment to adjust but the dread slams into her relentlessly, enough to wake her from the sleep-induced haze.
fuck.
joohyun jolts upright, causing her head to swim and she instantly regrets it. she cradles her temples in her hands and draws deep breaths as if it would ease her distress. she sees a figure in her peripheral vision and assumes it’s just her manager.
“don’t say anything, i know i fucked up, we’ll reschedule everything.”
“rest, you can worry about schedules tomorrow.”
the figure stands, and a hand is placed on her shoulder, gently pushing her back towards the bed. the voice is far too gentle to be that of manager kim’s, far too kind in fact. did she hit her head when she passed out? why the hell is she hearing the voice of wendy shon?
joohyun finally looks up and she’s convinced she’s hit her head hard enough to hallucinate an entire person, including the way her touch lingered on her arm. “fucking hell…”
the heiress returns to her seat beside joohyun with a tight smile masking her concern, “ouch, and i thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“i must’ve hit my head, there’s no way you’re real.”
seungwan reaches out for joohyun’s hand and gives it a light squeeze, “as real as i can be, and no, you didn’t hit your head. you fainted because you were dehydrated.”
the idol breath hitches, oh this is real alright, so why is wendy shon sitting beside her after she’s just fainted at work? her panic must be evident because seungwan begins to thumb the top of her hand in a soothing motion.
“i was colluding with your manager to give you a surprise after your fan meeting,” seungwan explains lightly, “turns out, you really know how to keep a girl on her toes.”
“shit, what about the—”
seungwan stops her with a raise of her hand, “your manager is handling everything, i offered to stay with you until she’s done making some calls. don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world, it’ll be inconvenient and people will be upset but you’ll get through it just fine.”
joohyun lets out a mirthless laugh and runs a hand through her hair. maybe age is catching up to her, and she simply can’t push as hard as she used to. still, this is a disaster and the only good thing to come out of it is seungwan’s presence.
“thanks for being here, it means a lot.” the idol’s voice is a mere whisper, “and for the record, i am happy to see you again.”
the heiress’ lips lift into a smile, “so am i, though i wish the circumstances were different. i much prefer you up on a stage than here.”
“yeah, about that, i need to talk to my manager.” joohyun expels a heavy sigh, the impending doom of consequences will barrel its way to her, perhaps only slightly slowed by her manager.
seungwan hands over the idol’s phone to her and the first thing she sees is a reply from seungwan herself.
‘the rumours won’t get to me, keep the outro, i like it.’
for some reason, joohyun can’t stop herself from tearing up, she’s more angry at herself than anything. she might have just dragged seungwan into hell just for her own selfish reasons. that, and the pressure of putting out a perfect album and performing to her very best is finally getting to her. the walls are caving in and suddenly, everything just feels overwhelming.
“what’s wrong? are you hurting?”
“no…” joohyun sniffles, wiping a stray tear with the back of her hand, “it’s just been hard. i’ve worked so hard only to fumble it now. sorry.”
“listen to me,” seungwan says, “you didn’t fumble anything, joohyun. you just needed to slow down. you will be fine.”
from standing to slipping her arms around the idol, everything feels natural. seungwan wraps her in a tight hug, allowing her to weep into her shirt while she runs a hand down her back. she feels joohyun grip her sides as if she’s drowning and she is the only semblance of safety within reach.
if joohyun so much as asks for it, seungwan would find a way to part the seas.
despite a trip to the hospital, irene is back on her feet the next day like nothing ever happened. to most fans, the worst thing was receiving news that irene’s fan meet was postponed due to a scheduling conflict. everyone who witnessed her collapse backstage knew to keep their mouths shut, especially when the heiress of the shon family was around to ensure they did.
seungwan doesn’t stick around, or rather, she can’t. family business pulls her away from the idol for weeks, she’s stuck in meetings, talking to business partners about various ventures the shon family plans to go through with this coming year. it grows dreary rather quickly, especially when she would much prefer being home where she’s within proximity to see joohyun again.
they try to keep up with texts but given their busy schedules and timezone differences, it’s hard to find an opportune time to even talk. neither seem to mind the gaps between messages, and in seungwan’s case, she looks forward to receiving the undecipherable texts joohyun often sends. she likes to think she’s gotten a little better at understanding the idol’s typos but many times, she’s still proven wrong. the little updates throughout the day pull them closer, some might even say they’re good friends now.
the day of the concert draws near and seungwan has specifically planned her meetings around it. she’ll be back in korea for a day before she has to fly off again.
what seungwan anticipated to be a well-planned day falls apart when her assistant mistakenly books her flight an hour later than she wanted. the moment she lands, she rushes from the airport to the stadium, praying with all her might that she makes it in time for the concert.
the first act is done by the time seungwan arrives in her dedicated box suite, a little late but at least she’s here. a VCR of irene is plastered across every screen and she manages to get to her seat without any disruption. joohyun gave her an entire box suite to herself, and it happens to be the one with the best view, all so she can watch irene serenade her once again.
when the VCR ends, the lights are dimmed and the crowd begins chanting irene’s name. seungwan stands by the railings, training her eyes onto the stage where she thinks she can see a shadowy figure making her way out the stage. she holds a lightstick in one hand and waits with anticipation.
the spotlight turns on and the music begins, irene comes into view, beginning the song with a well-practiced dance. the first few lyrics fill the atmosphere with a haunting chill, and the heiress notices the constant looks being thrown her way.
has she been waiting for her the entire time? and does she know she’s finally here?
just as the song draws to a close, seungwan fiddles with the lightstick, causing the lights to blink rapidly as the stadium descends into darkness. it takes a second for her to switch it off but she can already hear joohyun’s laugh echoing throughout the hall. when she looks back at the stage, irene has the largest smile on her face.
mission accomplished, somehow.
“i’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” irene speaks, as though addressing the crowd before her, but her eyes are locked in seungwan’s direction, squinting ever so slightly. “thank you for coming, and i can’t wait to show you what i’ve been preparing for months.”
irene cues the next song, delivering yet another stunning performance and seungwan thinks the red eye flight she just took to get here was entirely worth it.
the concert continues and seungwan sings along to what handful of songs she knows. summer rain gets performed as well and thankfully, joohyun doesn’t single her out this time. of all the versions she’s heard, she prefers the acapella version she heard through the phone the most. the concert finally closes with the song that propelled irene into the spotlight, with her showing everyone the definition of a performer.
seungwan prepares to take her leave once the encore is done but manager kim raps her knuckles against the suite door.
“miss shon, thank you for coming. i hope you’ve been well, do you have time to head backstage?”
seungwan glances at her watch, “i told her it wouldn’t be necessary,” she sighs, “i have another flight to catch.”
“you know how she is, she insists it’ll be short,” manager kim nods to the large bouquet of flowers that rests next to seungwan, “and i think she’ll be ecstatic to receive those personally.”
being backstage after a concert is chaotic — staff are running around all over the place trying to wrap things up for the night. manager kim dodges the chaos with trained movements and all seungwan does is follow the path she’s created.
she hears joohyun before she even comes into view, and briefly, she feels nervous.
“yah! kang seulgi! stand properly so we can take a nice shot!” joohyun’s voice echoes through the exceedingly long corridor and as seungwan rounds the corner with manager kim, she spots the idol taking pictures with another idol.
kang seulgi, or simply known as seulgi, has her arms wrapped around joohyun’s waist as they take a few photos together. the two seem close from what seungwan can tell from their poses and chatter, so she waits her turn with patience and a tint of jealousy.
joohyun does eventually turn to her direction and this is the first time they’ve seen each other in weeks. their meetings have been few and far between, speckled between impossible schedules, it seems all the stars in the universe have to align for them to even meet once.
and on the rare occasions they do, joohyun doesn’t bother hiding her excitement. her eyes twinkle with a brightness that could rival the sun itself, and she tackles seungwan in an embrace.
the heiress releases a soft gasp upon catching joohyun in her arms, the bouquet drops from her grasp and falls to the ground.
“oh, shoot—” joohyun tries to pull back to pick up the flowers but seungwan refuses to release her grip, holding the idol close to her.
“leave it,” the heiress mumbles, biting back her next sentence — it’s not every day i get to hold you.
joohyun has no qualms about sinking into her chest, drawing a deep breath and taking in the scent of perfume that always feels so calming.
yeah, she’s probably in love.
they release each other after the realisation that they’re still around people kicks in. joohyun says a brief goodbye to seulgi who throws her a knowing look while seungwan reaches down to pick up the bouquet of flowers, fixing it slightly.
“this is for the girl who pulled off the best concert i’ve seen,” the heiress smiles as she hands over the bouquet to her.
joohyun grins whilst accepting the flowers, “how can you be so certain when you missed half of it?”
“all i needed was half a show to know,” seungwan responds smoothly, “you were captivating on stage, i mean it.”
the compliment leaves her flushed so joohyun switches topics, “let’s take a photo.”
a phone is tossed to manager kim and joohyun links her arm with seungwan while posing for the camera. the shutter clicks away and their smiles are immortalized in a picture. their poses change throughout each shot and the final one is taken with joohyun practically glued to seungwan. she rests her head on the heiress’ arm, with her free hand hanging off her waist.
“how much time do you have?” joohyun asks when they’re done with the photos.
“two hours, maybe three.” seungwan hums, “why?”
joohyun shrugs innocently, “i’m starving, and i think we’re overdue for another meal together.”
“i’ll have my driver pull up to the back,” seungwan whips out her phone, “what are you feeling?”
“tteokbboki.”
joohyun takes them to a street food stall that she’s been patronizing since her trainee days. it doesn’t matter how popular she gets, she sticks firmly to her belief that what she needs after a long night of performing is street food and soju — well, maybe a shot or two so she doesn’t get too drunk. she convinces seungwan to share a bottle with her. the first bite of piping hot tteokbboki always feels the best, and seungwan has no reason to disagree, the two exchange a smile which transcends into a burst of laughter.
“it’s good, isn’t it?”
seungwan nods, “i didn’t realise how much i’ve missed korean food. god, i’m so sick of steak.”
“then stay,” joohyun says as if it’s the easiest thing in the world, and part of her wishes seungwan would do just that. she doesn’t want this night to end because having to say goodbye feels more difficult than it has ever been.
the heiress stays silent, casting her gaze away from the idol as she takes another bite of her food. if only her position as the only daughter of the shon family could be that easy.
“i want to,” she whispers after a minute, a moment of vulnerability shows and it’s the first time she wants to be honest with anyone. “but my parents have expectations and reputations i have to uphold. they’re setting me up for marriage, and if they want me to meet some stupid socialite, it’s difficult for me to say no.”
the idol feels her heart sinking, not at the fact that seungwan’s due to be married but rather how tired she suddenly sounds. if only she could make it all go away.
a mirthless smile appears on her lips, and the heiress waves it off with a deep breath, “don’t worry, if i’m getting married, i’ll have you perform. you can’t say no either.”
“as if i’d perform at my own wedding,” joohyun retorts smugly, and for once, she finally gets to see seungwan getting flustered. she thinks it’s cute, and pretty satisfying.
the heiress clears her throat, reaching for the bottle of soju between them, “yah, w-what the hell are you saying?”
a boisterous laugh slips from the idol, clearly, the effects from one shot of soju is enough to strip away any sort of anxiety she could feel. she feels bold enough to make her confession, after all, they won’t be seeing each other for a few months once her tour starts. the dust will settle by the time she’s back, and maybe it won’t hurt as much to have her feelings be left unreciprocated, maybe then she’ll accept that they’ll never be more than friends.
“i think i’m in love with you,” joohyun continues, watching the heiress through a half-lidded gaze, “back at the concert, when we first met, i thought you were gorgeous, and all i wanted was your attention. safe to say, i got my share of it, maybe more than i deserved even. maybe i’m content tonight but tomorrow? i’ll wish you stayed, i’ll wish you would drop everything just for me.”
her confession hits much harder than one bottle of soju could ever counter and while seungwan struggles to come to terms with it, joohyun continues eating, seemingly without a care in the world. it’s a distraction she clings to, knowing that if she stops, she’ll break down and that’s the last thing she wants to do in front of seungwan. she doesn’t need to put more pressure on her when things are tough enough as is.
seungwan has been more than aware of the feelings the idol harbours towards her, and to some extent, she reciprocates that affection. though, up till today, she never anticipated a confession to be possible. she figured they would continue dancing around one another until they grew tired, and then they would simply return to being acquaintances and nothing more. this confession changes everything, a whole slew of possibilities just opened up and if she’s honest, she’s afraid of what could happen if they pursue this.
her voice shakes as she mumbles, “joohyun…”
“i don’t need an answer, i don’t want you to say anything either. even if it’s a tough pill to swallow, i know we can’t work. you know that too.” joohyun pushes past the ache in her chest, “so eat, and tell me about what you’ve been up to before i regret everything i’ve said.”
supper is a bittersweet affair, and seungwan shares more about her life than she’s ever done with anyone. the places she’s visited on her travels, the people she’s met and everything in between. she respects joohyun’s wishes and avoids the confession entirely, and they talk, just like they always do, though this time she doesn’t have to decipher joohyun’s typos.
eventually, they have to part ways. there is no hug, nor any final words to end it all, just a simple nod before they each get into their separate cars, driving off in different directions.
part of joohyun wishes she is enough to convince seungwan to stay but the truth is, she’s not. things wouldn’t have worked between them anyway. her fame would have put them under plenty of scrutiny, enough to wear down even the toughest of relationships. with her upcoming tour and seungwan’s constant travels, they would have been left wondering where they went wrong when the inevitable fall came.
this is for the better, she tries to convince herself despite the heartache that threatens to swallow her whole. at least now she’ll stop trying to look for her in crowds, stop chasing after a fleeting moment of joy.
‘irene broke down during summer rain’
‘no way, irene was crying while performing’
‘day 1 was better, she looked like she actually wanted to be there’
irene didn’t need social media to tell her she fucked up the second day of her concert, she was fine pushing through it until the outro of summer rain played and fuck, her wounds are still far too raw and this heartbreak tears through her, leaving her unable to speak or explain herself for minutes. she should’ve been more professional and personal feelings shouldn’t have a part when she’s performing for sold out shows. the mistake sticks with her and she makes the decision to remove her most recent viral song from the set list, a questionable choice but a necessary one. it’s impossible for her to maintain her composure when all she thinks about is seungwan and her absence so she has to avoid it.
her fans noticed after the first few international stops in europe, with many taking to social media to question why the song has been purged from the set list when it’s a song that brought more fans to her. joohyun deflects all questions, avoiding it like the plague while replacing it with a cover song that couldn’t even cover half its impact.
seungwan doesn’t call, and joohyun doesn’t text. despite their unsent messages, neither one feels right talking to the other. things have grown uncomfortable now that joohyun has made her feelings known, even if they parted on amicable terms, it’s difficult for them to maintain a friendship.
if this is truly for the better, then why are they worse off?
seungwan sees it all, tracking irene’s social media pages every so often to check on her. other than posting some pictures at every stop of the tour, the idol has pretty much grown silent. she hears about the removal of summer rain and she has every intention to call joohyun if only to hear her voice, but what good would it do? she knows exactly why it happened, what’s the point in ushering in a new wave of hurt when joohyun herself said it?
we can’t work, you know that too.
the resignation in joohyun’s voice haunts her for days, and truth be told, whatever joohyun had been thinking of before her confession, seungwan had thought of it too.
fantasies of them traversing the world, hand in hand without batting an eye if anyone caught them. to have joohyun show her off to the world, to have the world know that she’s the one who caught the eye of a superstar — she toys with these ideas only to have reality strike her down mercilessly.
they can’t work.
she knows that even when she reschedules important meetings, she knows that even when she tells her assistant to get her a ticket to irene’s sold out show, she knows and yet, she wants them to work.
in a crowd full of people that adore irene, seungwan is the only one who isn’t screaming her name. she sticks out like a sore thumb, unparticipative and straight-faced, it’s clear she’s not a diehard fan like the others surrounding her but what do they know?
compared to a box suite, her seat is subpar, offering a side view of the entire stage and an even less optimal view of joohyun herself but it was all her assistant could get on such short notice. it’s enough for one night, all she wants is to see joohyun again, to hear her sing, speak, laugh, or anything really.
they can’t work, but god does she wish they did.
she leaves before the encore starts, taking advantage of the darkness in between to slip away. though, at the irritation of her fellow concert goers, she leaves her light stick blinking in her wake.
whether joohyun spots the sign she’s left behind will be up to fate.
once is a mistake, and twice is a choice and thrice is the work of wendy shon.
it doesn’t matter if joohyun tries or not, she still searches the crowd for a specific person, hoping that somehow, she’ll be there. her tour across the americas have proven it to be foolish, except for the fact that there’s occasionally a blinking lightstick during her encore performances. fans have complained about it, citing that the culprit’s a rich asshole since they could afford leaving a lightstick behind at multiple venues. others have shared experiences of sitting near the culprit, stating that she’s pretty and quiet and never does anything disruptive until she leaves.
joohyun doesn’t want to get her hopes up — they haven’t spoken in weeks and she doesn’t even know where the heiress could be right now but she can’t silence the tiny voice in her head that prays for the unlikely.
what if it is her?
what if all she has to do is answer?
the mic feels heavy in her hands, her final song has ended and all that’s left is for her to thank the crowd, go backstage to get changed and then return for the encore stage. her eyes scan the crowd before her, the darkness makes it hard to see and she spots a few familiar faces but they are not who she’s looking for. lightsticks dot the entire venue, lighting up the space in a sea of pink, but they all remain resolute and unblinking. what she searches for isn’t present, or perhaps it has yet to unveil itself.
irene draws a shaky breath, shutting her eyes as she steels herself for what’s about to come. she has a whole heart rending speech ready, one packed with everything she could possibly want to say to seungwan.
but she chokes, her courage lost to the void.
“stay.” is all she can muster before running off backstage.
the staff are informed immediately of the change in encore songs and while irene gets changed, they scramble to get the backing track ready.
the crowd erupts into cheers when the first few notes of summer rain begins to play, what a treat for the fans who have been looking forward to hearing it live. but irene is nervous, scared even — afraid that she’ll fall apart again, afraid of the disappointment that awaits her, afraid that at the end of it all, she won’t find seungwan.
her voice trembles and joohyun fights back the tears, she can’t have a repeat of what happened before. she takes the song one line at a time until finally, the outro plays.
she casts her eyes to the crowd, praying. she doesn’t quite know what she hopes to see, but she hopes her hunch is right.
she spots it in the upper levels, right in the center.
a blinking lightstick being waved around.
she cracks into a wide smile, relief washing over her as a tear pushes past her lashes.
“i’ve missed you.”
“whatever i think you’re about to do, don’t.”
a low, stern warning greets her the moment irene steps off stage, and she is reminded of the harsh reality of being an idol. everyone has seen the stunt she’s pulled for the encore, if they hadn’t guessed already, they would soon enough.
“i will be fine.” joohyun mutters whilst removing her mic pack, “i just want to see her again.”
“no, not right now, not with what you just did.” manager kim is firm, and unfortunately, she’s right, “you know the kind of rumours that will start if anyone catches you. you can throw your reputation away but can she?”
the question makes her halt in her steps — as if she hadn’t thought of it before. the conclusion she had come to was no, if she could’ve, then all of this hurt would’ve been avoided. though, if that were truly the case, then why did she leave all those signs?
the very same inner voice that prayed so desperately for seungwan to show up screams at her to ignore these warnings.
“why else would she be here?” joohyun releases a deep sigh, “get her backstage, or i’ll look for her myself.”
the idol tries to walk away from her manager who persistently chases after her, “and then what?” she snaps, “you get your heart broken all over again? or you two start dating and my job becomes hell? you don’t even know if it’s her!”
“your job is to get me jobs, not parent me.” the idol retorts with annoyance, sounding much harsher than she intends.
“her family are not people you can mess around with, joohyun,” manager kim hisses, “one wrong move and they will ruin you.”
“then you can either help me or watch me burn.”
burn, she shall.
one text from seungwan is all she needs.
joohyun slips on a jacket and a baseball cap with her name plastered on the front — not exactly discreet but it’s an attempt to mask her identity. the night breeze stings her warm cheeks as she steps out from the back entrance but the pain is secondary to the relief that washes over her.
there she is, like nothing has ever happened.
the heiress leans against the car door with her arms folded across her chest, hair falling perfectly down her shoulders as she pulls her gaze from the ground to lock eyes with joohyun.
it doesn’t matter if she’s just finished a two-hour long concert, joohyun forces her legs into a sprint, closing the gap between the two of them within seconds.
she falls, and this time, seungwan is there to catch her.
slipping her arms tightly around the nape of her neck, joohyun pulls herself closer until there’s practically no space between them. she feels seungwan release a soft, shaky laugh as she reciprocates the affection with hands sliding around the small of her back. at long last, her wish does come true — seungwan is here, seungwan dropped everything just to be here.
but in each other’s embrace, they’ll burn.
camera flashes go off in the distance, and joohyun clenches her eyes shut as if it would make it better. tears begin falling down her cheeks, and in spite of all she’s about to lose, she can’t hold back a smile.
“took you long enough.” she manages to choke out and seungwan shoots her a teary-eyed smile, moving her hands up to the back of joohyun’s head and pressing her even closer to her chest.
“you know how it is, flight delays.” seungwan jokes to ease the tightness in her throat, “i’m sorry, i should’ve been here a lot sooner but… i’ve been afraid.”
joohyun giggles, “what a nightmare it must be to fall in love with me.”
“and what a blessing it is to be loved by you.” seungwan counters smoothly and it makes joohyun’s heart race. the cold no longer bothers her because the heiress is reaching down to lift her chin gently, guiding her gaze back to her. “we could do this in my car, halfway across the world, or right here, in front of all your fans.”
for once, joohyun chances a glance at the crowd that has formed beyond the fence near them. a growing hoard of fans, all with cameras in hand, waiting for the climax to unfold. a decision weighs on her, and consequences be damned — she’s been waiting far too long for this.
in a swift motion, joohyun rises up on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on seungwan’s cheek.
yeah, well, she got nervous. who can blame her? kissing the sole heiress of one of the nation’s wealthiest conglomerate families will do that to you.
seungwan’s face lights up with a bright smile, and she laughs, pulling joohyun in for another brief hug, “okay, now go before your manager colludes with my parents to kill us both. i will call you, promise.”
the seething figure of manager kim looms by the back entrance, and joohyun will soon find out just how much damage she’s caused. joohyun tangles her hands with seungwan for just a second longer, unwilling to part so quickly but seungwan urges her away — for both their sakes.
burn, they shall.
irene caught kissing wendy shon after her concert!
after putting on a stunning show in brooklyn, the idol was caught in an intimate embrace with wendy shon of the shon family, going as far as kissing her in front of a crowd of fans. many speculate that the two have been seeing each other ever since the shon family’s charity concert back in december but both parties have declined to comment.
“what i did wasn’t a crime,” irene pinches the bridge of her nose while exhaling slowly, “just tell everyone we’re best friends.”
“best friends? only a historian would believe that!” manager kim snaps, pacing incessantly in her hotel room, “you lost two sponsors overnight, do you know how bad that is?”
“okay,” irene drawls, whipping out her phone, “but have we seen the streams on ‘summer rain’?”
the song had been doing well even before her tour started, and now it’s basically at the top of every single music chart. her unintentional gambit is paying off even though she has been ready to lose it all. now, she’s more popular than ever, even if she loses some sponsors, she’ll gain new ones right back.
“you still have the asia leg of the tour, what if people decide to boycott you?”
irene raises her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug, as far as she can tell, the world is more concerned with how the heiress managed to break through her ice-cold facade and nothing else.
“can’t please everyone.”
“you are taking this way too casually, this is a serious matter, joohyun!”
“i told you to let me burn, so isn’t it great that we’re both not jobless yet?” the idol stands, placing her hands on her manager’s shoulders, “relax, unnie, if anyone has a problem, send them my way and i’ll talk to them.”
manager kim huffs, exasperated that irene going after a rich heiress is what got them in this situation today. the stress of having to deal with their bosses and clients is definitely getting to her.
“don’t steal my job when you’re going to be jobless soon,” manager kim brushes off joohyun’s grip on her, “everyone at the company has seen the numbers on ‘summer rain’ so you’re safe for now. expect more interviews soon, but don’t go around smooching wendy shon in public again, please.”
“loud and clear,” joohyun gives her a salute, “no smooching in public.”
‘survived my manger’
‘wbu’
‘got chewed out by my parents for one, making a scene. two, pushing my meetings around to go to your concerts.’
‘good thing i secured a big collaboration last month.’
‘ok how’d they react tho’
‘aws uit badd’
joohyun watches as seungwan's status turns offline, and moments later, her phone rings and she picks it up without hesitation.
“i’m going to hire someone to unscramble your texts at this rate,” seungwan grumbles through the phone, “but no, my parents took it pretty well. they were happy for me, albeit hoping i would keep things more on the down low now.”
“my manager said the same thing,” joohyun chuckles, “so when are you going to take me out again?”
“i thought i had to wait my turn.”
“well, i’m done waiting.”
“then get changed,” seungwan laughs, “you’ve kept me waiting long enough too."
when the idol peaks out of the window of her hotel room, seungwan’s car is already waiting downstairs. through the tinted glass, she can faintly see seungwan waving.
turns out, the two have very different definitions of keeping it lowkey.
there is some attempt from joohyun’s end, donning a cap to hide some of her features. seungwan doesn’t even try, she does have a pair of sunglasses lying around somewhere but she could hardly care, the most she does is dress slightly more casually, just a plain white tee layered beneath a fluffy beige cardigan.
“this isn’t very lowkey,” joohyun motions to all of her when she slides into the backseat next to seungwan.
“well, hello to you too,” seungwan grins, “it’s hard to keep it lowkey when i’m dating a superstar, wouldn’t you agree?”
joohyun fails to bite back a smile, instead, she leans over till she’s practically crawling on top of seungwan. “i kissed you once and suddenly we’re dating,” the idol drawls, removing her cap and placing it on seungwan’s head, “you’re fortunate i tend to agree with beautiful women.”
cupping her hands around the jaw of the heiress, joohyun leans in and finally, they get the kiss they deserve. one so long and so slow that the taste of each other would be burnt into their memories. the rest of the world melts away, and seungwan questions how she could have ever chosen anything over joohyun.
the heiress holds onto the high of kissing the idol for the rest of the day, her lips curve in a constant, content smile even when they’re browsing through stores or just enjoying a brief tea break. joohyun takes full advantage of it, taking discreet shots of the heiress, some for her personal collection and some to show to the world. most won’t see the light of social media till months after, when the buzz around their not-so-secret relationship has died down somewhat.
‘soft launching your rich gf doesn’t work if u’ve already kissed her in public!!! @renebaebae’
‘nah wendy shon is rich rich wtf that bracelet could pay off my entire tuition’
‘um yea so like any other rich heiresses wanna date me? the best i can do is text like irene’
that’s how they’ll keep their relationship an open secret for months. summer rain returns to the set list, irene is constantly spotted in public with the heiress at most of her tour stops, and any question anyone could have about their relationship is swiftly shut down with a warning glare from wendy shon.
yeah, irene is in love with wendy shon, even a fool could see that, but it takes a keen eye to see how easily seungwan would burn the world just for her.
irene mesmerizes the crowd at the shon family’s charity concert!
for the second year in a row, the idol known for her enrapturing performances pulled off another successful show, setting yet another fundraising record. pictured, she is seen taking her seat next to the young heiress, wendy shon, and are rumoured to be dating.