Chapter Text
# Chapter One: Everybody Knows
If there was one thing the internet loved more than KATSEYE content, it was pretending to be detectives.
Actually, scratch that.
The internet didn't pretend.
The internet genuinely believed they were detectives.
Every livestream, every TikTok, every behind-the-scenes clip, every blurry screenshot from a random Weverse update immediately became evidence for whatever theory fans had invented that week.
Sometimes it was funny.
Sometimes it was ridiculous.
And sometimes...
Sometimes Megan had to physically put her phone down because she was pretty sure strangers somehow knew more about her crush than she did.
"You're smiling at your phone again."
Megan looked up from the couch.
Sophia was standing in the doorway holding a water bottle.
"I'm literally not."
"You literally are."
"I'm literally not."
"You literally have heart eyes."
Megan threw a pillow at her.
Sophia dodged it immediately.
"See? Guilty."
"I'm not guilty of anything."
"Mhm."
Sophia walked away.
"Mhm," Megan mocked.
Sophia's laugh echoed from down the hallway.
Megan looked back at her phone.
Specifically...
At a picture of Yoonchae.
Okay.
Maybe Sophia had a point.
Just a tiny one.
Maybe.
A little.
The picture wasn't even special.
It had been taken during practice earlier.
Yoonchae was sitting on the floor tying her shoe while listening to Lara complain dramatically about how much she missed Manon.
Which had become a daily occurrence.
Actually.
Hourly.
Maybe every ten minutes.
"I miss Manon."
"Lara, she texted you six seconds ago."
"I know. I still miss her."
"She's literally coming back."
"I know."
"Then why are you acting like she's deployed?"
"Because I miss her."
Nobody could ever win those arguments.
Not even Daniela.
And Daniela won every argument.
The photo itself wasn't anything extraordinary.
Yoonchae wasn't posing.
Wasn't looking at the camera.
Wasn't doing anything.
Yet Megan had somehow spent three minutes staring at it.
Which was embarrassing.
Because they weren't dating.
Couldn't date.
Management had made that very clear.
The rules were the rules.
Neither of them had ever talked about feelings anyway.
Not that Megan hadn't thought about it.
She definitely had.
Usually at three in the morning.
Or during rehearsals.
Or while eating breakfast.
Or while breathing.
The problem was Yoonchae.
Not because she was difficult.
Actually the opposite.
Yoonchae was so naturally nice to everyone that Megan couldn't tell if anything meant anything.
A shoulder bump?
Friendship.
A smile?
Friendship.
A compliment?
Friendship.
Existing within a ten-foot radius?
Probably friendship.
Meanwhile Megan was over here giggling whenever Yoonchae made the worst joke imaginable.
Last week Yoonchae had accidentally said something about a banana during practice.
Nobody else laughed.
Not one person.
Megan nearly fell over.
The joke wasn't even a joke.
Yoonchae had looked confused.
Lara had looked concerned.
Daniela had asked if Megan was okay.
Megan wasn't okay.
That was the issue.
The worst part?
Everybody knew.
Everybody.
Sophia definitely knew.
Daniela definitely knew.
Lara knew too, although Lara got distracted every few minutes talking about Manon.
Even Manon probably knew.
And she wasn't even there.
The only person who maybe didn't know was Yoonchae.
Which honestly felt unfair.
A notification appeared.
Group chat.
LARA: GUYS I MISS MANON
DANIELA: it's been 14 minutes
LARA: EXACTLY
SOPHIA: somebody help her
MEGAN: impossible
YOONCHAE: impossible
Megan stared at the screen.
Then smiled.
Then immediately hated herself for smiling.
Then smiled again.
Because Yoonchae had used the exact same word she had.
Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic.
A second message appeared.
YOONCHAE: she just sent me a selfie though
LARA: SHOW ME
YOONCHAE: no
LARA: FUCK YOU
Megan laughed.
Then another message.
YOONCHAE: :)
Just a smiley face.
A completely normal smiley face.
Megan somehow spent the next five minutes staring at it.
Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic.
---
A few days later, Sophia and Yoonchae were doing a livestream together.
Which should have been completely normal.
Except Megan was watching from another room.
With snacks.
And the focus of someone studying for final exams.
Daniela walked past.
Stopped.
Looked at the screen.
Looked at Megan.
Looked back at the screen.
"Megan."
"What?"
"You know they can't hear you, right?"
"I know."
"Then why are you reacting like you're in the conversation?"
"I'm not."
On-screen, Yoonchae laughed.
Megan immediately smiled.
Daniela pointed.
"That."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure."
Daniela left.
Megan continued watching.
The livestream was chaos.
Which was pretty standard.
Sophia and Yoonchae somehow managed to switch between heartfelt conversations and complete nonsense every thirty seconds.
One moment they were talking about music.
The next they were debating snacks.
Then they were reading comments.
Then laughing at something neither of them explained.
Typical.
The chat moved so fast it was impossible to read.
Until one comment caught Sophia's attention.
She squinted.
"Oh."
Yoonchae leaned closer.
"What?"
Sophia started laughing.
Not mean laughter.
Just surprised laughter.
"Cute."
"What?"
"This person says they're in love with their best friend."
Immediately the chat exploded.
Sophia kept smiling.
"Aww."
Yoonchae covered part of her face.
Sophia noticed.
And that was the exact moment things went wrong.
Because Sophia was Sophia.
Which meant she had the self-control of a gremlin.
"Oh my gosh."
Yoonchae already knew.
"No."
Sophia turned the camera.
Directly.
At Yoonchae.
"No!"
The camera zoomed closer.
Yoonchae's face turned bright red.
Actually red.
Not internet exaggeration red.
Genuinely red.
Sophia completely lost it.
She was laughing so hard she could barely hold the phone steady.
The chat exploded.
Absolutely exploded.
Comments flew by faster than either of them could read.
Yoonchae buried her face in her hands.
"Sophia!"
Sophia laughed harder.
"Why are you embarrassed?"
"I'm not embarrassed!"
"You are literally red."
"I'm not!"
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You are."
Watching from the other room, Megan nearly choked on her drink.
Her heart had done some kind of acrobatic flip.
Not because she knew what Yoonchae was thinking.
She definitely didn't.
But seeing her flustered was rare.
Extremely rare.
Yoonchae usually handled teasing pretty well.
Yet somehow that comment had completely destroyed her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Megan filed that information away immediately.
For research purposes.
Totally.
The livestream continued.
Sophia eventually stopped bullying her.
Mostly.
But every now and then she'd glance at Yoonchae and start laughing again.
Which restarted everything.
By the time the stream ended, clips were already spreading everywhere.
TikTok.
Twitter.
Instagram.
Every platform.
Fans were creating edits at alarming speeds.
Sophia found one approximately eight minutes after the livestream ended.
"Guys."
Everyone looked up.
Sophia was holding her phone.
Already laughing.
"No."
Yoonchae knew that tone.
"No."
"Look."
"No."
Sophia showed the screen anyway.
A dramatic edit.
Slow zoom.
Sparkles.
Sad music.
Yoonchae groaned.
Daniela immediately started laughing.
Lara fell off the couch.
Megan looked away before anyone noticed she was smiling too much.
Which unfortunately didn't work.
Because Daniela saw everything.
Daniela always saw everything.
She pointed.
"Megan."
"No."
"You smiled."
"No."
"You literally did."
"No."
"You literally did."
Megan grabbed another pillow.
Daniela dodged it.
Apparently everyone in this group had dodge training.
"Interesting reaction."
"Daniela."
"Interesting."
"Daniela."
"Very interesting."
"Daniela."
Lara interrupted.
"Guys."
Everyone looked at her.
"I miss Manon."
A beat of silence.
Then everyone started laughing.
Even Yoonchae.
Especially Yoonchae.
The sound immediately made Megan smile again.
And unfortunately...
Daniela saw that too.
She didn't say anything.
Just exchanged a look with Sophia.
A look that clearly meant something.
A look Megan absolutely hated.
Because it was the look people gave when they knew something.
And everybody knew something.
Everybody except Yoonchae.
Probably.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Actually...
Megan wasn't sure anymore.
Across the room, Yoonchae was still laughing at something Lara had said.
For a second she looked over.
Her eyes met Megan's.
Just briefly.
A second.
Maybe less.
But long enough.
Yoonchae smiled.
Megan forgot whatever conversation was happening.
Forgot what Daniela had been saying.
Forgot literally everything.
Then Yoonchae looked away.
And Megan sat there staring at the wall like her brain had just disconnected from the internet.
Daniela sighed dramatically.
"Oh, you have it bad."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mhm."
Sophia started laughing again.
Lara looked confused.
Then she gasped.
"Oh."
"No."
"Oh my gosh."
"No."
"Oh my gosh."
"No."
Lara pointed.
"No way."
Megan buried her face in a pillow.
The laughter got even louder.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, Yoonchae glanced over again.
Completely oblivious.
Or maybe not.
Which honestly might have been even worse.
-
The problem with being in a girl group was that nobody ever minded their own business.
Not once.
Not ever.
Privacy was a myth.
Secrets lasted approximately three business days.
And crushes?
Crushes lasted even less.
Which was exactly why Megan should have known better than to walk into the living room that afternoon.
The second she stepped through the doorway, she knew something was wrong.
Sophia was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Daniela was holding someone's phone.
Lara looked way too excited.
And Yoonchae—
Yoonchae was quietly eating snacks while watching the chaos unfold.
Which somehow made things worse.
"What are you doing?" Megan asked.
Nobody answered immediately.
Instead they all exchanged looks.
The kind of looks that made Megan want to leave.
Immediately.
"Nothing," Sophia said.
"That's a lie."
"It's not."
"It's definitely a lie."
Daniela held up her phone.
"It's important research."
Megan narrowed her eyes.
"That's somehow even more suspicious."
Lara gasped dramatically.
"Megan!"
"What?"
"You have to help us."
"With what?"
Lara pointed at the phone.
Daniela turned the screen around.
Megan immediately groaned.
"No."
Daniela grinned.
"Oh yes."
"No."
"Oh yes."
"No."
It was F.L.A.M.E.
The ancient love tester game.
The game that somehow survived every generation.
The game that had absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever.
And yet somehow remained devastating.
"Megan, we're bored," Sophia said.
"So watch a movie."
"We tried."
"Go outside."
"We tried."
"Read a book."
Lara looked horrified.
"No."
"Then suffer."
Daniela ignored her.
"We've already done like twenty."
"Twenty?"
"We're committed."
"You're unemployed."
"We literally have jobs."
"Barely."
Yoonchae laughed quietly.
Megan immediately smiled.
Of course she did.
Because apparently her brain was broken.
Sophia noticed.
Again.
Naturally.
She always noticed.
Sophia smirked.
Megan glared.
Sophia smirked harder.
The traitor.
"We're doing more," Daniela announced.
"Congratulations."
"Sit down."
"No."
"Sit."
Megan looked around.
Everyone was already staring at her.
Even Yoonchae.
Especially Yoonchae.
Which somehow made sitting down feel like a life-threatening event.
Still.
She sat.
Immediately regretting it.
"Okay," Daniela said. "Who's first?"
Lara's hand shot up.
"Me."
Nobody was surprised.
"With who?" Sophia asked.
Lara looked offended.
"Who do you think?"
"Fair."
Lara dramatically pressed a hand to her chest.
"Manon."
A collective chorus of understanding filled the room.
"Of course," Daniela said.
"Obviously."
"I miss her."
"We know."
"I really miss her."
"We know."
"I—"
"We know."
Lara ignored them.
Daniela typed both names into a random F.L.A.M.E calculator online.
Because apparently technology had advanced but humanity hadn't.
The spinning wheel appeared.
Everyone leaned forward dramatically.
Even Yoonchae.
The result popped up.
MARRIED.
The room exploded.
Lara screamed.
Actually screamed.
"I KNEW IT."
Daniela nearly dropped the phone.
Sophia collapsed sideways laughing.
Yoonchae clapped politely.
"Lara, it's literally a random website."
"IT KNOWS."
"It does not."
"IT DOES."
Daniela showed her the screen.
"Look."
"I'M LOOKING."
"Mhm."
"I'M SHOWING MANON."
Lara was already taking screenshots.
Multiple screenshots.
Possibly enough screenshots to create a documentary.
A notification sound echoed moments later.
Lara gasped.
"She replied."
"And?"
"She said 'LMAOOO.'"
Everyone burst out laughing.
"True love," Sophia said.
"Exactly."
Lara looked completely serious.
Which somehow made it funnier.
Several more rounds followed.
Sophia and random celebrities.
Daniela and fictional characters.
Yoonchae and a bag of chips.
Nobody remembered how that one happened.
The bag of chips apparently got "Enemies."
Which Daniela claimed was proof the algorithm worked.
Then came the mistake.
The horrible.
Terrible.
Life-ruining mistake.
"Megan."
Megan looked up.
Immediately suspicious.
"What?"
Daniela was smiling.
Never a good sign.
"Your turn."
"No."
"Your turn."
"No."
"Your turn."
"No."
"You already said that."
"And I'll say it again."
Sophia suddenly perked up.
"Oh."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
Lara gasped.
"Oh my gosh."
"No."
"Oh my gosh."
"No."
Everyone looked way too excited.
Even Yoonchae looked curious now.
Which somehow made everything worse.
Megan pointed at them.
"Whatever you're planning, don't."
Daniela ignored her.
"Who should we do?"
"Nobody."
"Interesting answer."
"Daniela."
Sophia snapped her fingers.
Immediately.
Too immediately.
"Megan and Yoonchae."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The room froze.
Megan froze.
Daniela froze.
Lara froze.
Even Sophia froze for half a second.
Then—
"YES."
Lara practically launched herself forward.
"YES YES YES."
"No."
"YES."
"No."
"YES."
"No."
"Megan."
"What?"
"Why are you nervous?"
"I'm not nervous."
"You're literally nervous."
"I'm literally not."
"You literally are."
Megan considered leaving the room.
Possibly the country.
Yoonchae, meanwhile, was staring at her snack bag like it contained answers.
Which honestly?
Relatable.
"Come on," Sophia said.
"It's just a game."
"It's a dumb game."
"Exactly."
"So why do it?"
"Because it's funny."
"It won't be funny."
"It absolutely will."
Daniela was already typing.
The traitor.
The absolute traitor.
MEGAN.
YOONCHAE.
The names appeared side by side.
And suddenly Megan became very aware of her own heartbeat.
This was ridiculous.
Actually ridiculous.
It was a random internet game.
A random internet game invented decades ago.
It meant nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Zero.
Nothing.
The wheel started spinning.
Sophia started humming dramatic music.
Lara grabbed a pillow.
Daniela looked invested.
Yoonchae looked amused.
Megan looked like she might pass away.
The wheel slowed.
And slowed.
And slowed.
Then stopped.
MARRIED.
The room exploded.
Again.
But this time even louder.
Because apparently the universe hated Megan personally.
Lara screamed first.
Sophia screamed second.
Daniela immediately lost control of her laughter.
And Megan—
Megan forgot how to act normal.
"WHAT."
She was smiling.
Actually smiling.
A giant.
Ridiculous.
Uncontrollable smile.
The kind she usually tried to suppress.
The kind everyone immediately noticed.
"Oh my gosh," Sophia wheezed.
"Oh my gosh."
Daniela pointed.
"LOOK AT HER."
"STOP."
"LOOK AT HER."
"STOP."
"LOOK AT HER."
Lara was crying.
Actually crying.
"Megan!"
"I'm literally sitting here."
"YOUR FACE."
"What about my face?"
"YOUR FACE."
Megan grabbed a pillow and hid behind it.
Unfortunately that only made everything worse.
Because now everyone was laughing harder.
Even Yoonchae.
Especially Yoonchae.
Megan peeked around the pillow.
Yoonchae's shoulders were shaking.
She was trying not to laugh.
Trying.
Failing.
The sight alone nearly killed Megan.
"You think this is funny?" Megan asked.
"A little."
"A little?"
Yoonchae nodded.
"A little."
Megan immediately laughed too.
Because of course she did.
Because Yoonchae could probably say "paperclip" and she'd laugh.
A fact everyone else had unfortunately figured out months ago.
Daniela wiped tears from her eyes.
"This is the greatest day of my life."
"Get better goals."
"No."
Sophia pointed at the screen.
"MARRIED."
"It's fake."
"MARRIED."
"It's fake."
"MARRIED."
"It's fake."
"MARRIED."
Yoonchae finally spoke.
Quietly.
Still smiling.
"It is kind of funny."
Megan looked over.
Big mistake.
Huge mistake.
Yoonchae's eyes were crinkled from laughing.
Her smile was soft.
Warm.
The kind that always made Megan forget whatever she was saying.
For a second neither of them looked away.
Just a second.
Then Lara ruined everything.
"I'M SENDING THIS TO MANON."
Everyone groaned.
Including Yoonchae.
Which broke the moment instantly.
A tragedy.
A genuine tragedy.
Five minutes later Lara had somehow sent approximately fourteen screenshots to Manon.
Daniela was still teasing Megan.
Sophia was still laughing.
And Yoonchae had returned to eating snacks.
Like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile Megan was replaying the entire thing in her head.
The result.
Yoonchae laughing.
The eye contact.
The smile.
Everything.
Completely normal behavior.
Totally healthy.
Not concerning at all.
Across the room Sophia caught her staring.
Again.
Sophia immediately smirked.
Again.
Megan threw another pillow.
Again.
And somehow that only made everybody laugh harder.