Yuna knows she's in deep trouble the second she steps into HWAON's private studio.
First clue: the walls are lined with giant mirrors and LED lights that pulse in rainbow colours. The second clue: there's an entire snack table devoted exclusively to bubble tea and vitamin gummies.
The final and most horrifying clue: Mina is practically vibrating beside her, wearing a new HWAON hoodie two sizes too big and clutching her phone like she might spontaneously combust from excitement.
"I swear to GOD, Mina," Yuna hisses, tugging at her sleeve, "you promised me you'd be chill."
"I AM chill," Mina squeaks. "My pulse is only at, like...two hundred. That's normal, right?!"
A door swings open. A swirl of perfume, sweat and expensive styling products wafts into the room.
And just like that, the gods themselves descend upon mortal earth.
Or at least that's how it feels when HWAON walks in.
First through the door is Taewon, wearing sleek black trousers and a crisp white button-up, hair styled away from his face to show off the signature mole under his left eye. His entire aura screams "Crown Prince who secretly weeps at puppy videos."
He stops dead when he sees Yuna, head tilting as though she's a puzzle to be solved.
"Oh," he murmurs, voice velvet-smooth. "So the rumours are true. You're real."
"Uh...hi," Yuna croaks.
Taewon sighs dramatically. "We are so doomed. Please behave, everyone."
Mina, beside her, lets out a high-pitched squeal that sounds suspiciously like a dying dolphin.
Next in is Raejin, wearing ripped jeans, neon sneakers and a HWAON hoodie with the hood pulled up. He's carrying a Nintendo Switch in one hand and a half-finished bubble tea in the other. His eyes go cartoonishly wide when he spots Yuna.
"NOONA!" he shrieks. "You're even prettier in person! J-Min wasn't lying!"
"Why are you calling me noona?!" Yuna splutters. "We're practically the same age!"
"Shhh." Raejin waves a dismissive hand, straw still in his mouth. "Noona energy. I can feel it." He points at her accusingly. "Sagittarius rising. I KNEW IT."
"I'm going to die," Yuna mutters under her breath.
Raejin beams. "Same!"
Third to appear is Sori, in a pastel blazer and silver hoops, looking like a K-drama rich heiress on her way to ruin someone's credit score. She steps into the room with a cool elegance that should belong to someone older than twenty-two.
She gives Yuna a slow once-over. "So. You're Coffee Girl."
"I...uh...yes?" Yuna says weakly.
Sori nods. "Good. You're cute. The internet would have rioted if you weren't."
Then she leans closer, eyes glittering. "And don't worry, if you break J-Min's heart, I'll bury the body so deep they'll never find it."
Yuna stares at her, speechless.
Sori flashes a sweet smile. "Welcome to the family."
Finally, Ari steps in, sporting an ice-blonde bob, oversized sunglasses perched on her head, and a cropped black top that sparkles under the studio lights. She's holding a little velvet pouch like it's the Holy Grail.
Ari looks Yuna up and down, then pulls out a large chunk of amethyst.
"I sensed some emotional chaos radiating from you," Ari says solemnly. "So I brought you a crystal."
"Oh. Um. Thanks?" Yuna squeaks, accepting the amethyst.
Ari pats her arm. "Don't worry. It's been cleansed. By moonlight. And sage."
Mina practically yanks it out of Yuna's hand. "OH MY GOD CAN I TOUCH IT?!"
"No," Ari snaps, pulling it back protectively. "Your vibe is too feral."
Yuna has been in the room for less than five minutes and she already wants to run screaming for the hills.
But there's no escape.
Taewon gestures at a circle of chairs. "Okay. Intervention time."
"I thought we were just meeting," Yuna protests.
"Meeting-slash-intervention," Taewon clarifies. "Same difference."
"Also vibes check," Ari chimes in.
Raejin plops down next to Yuna, nudging her shoulder. "So. Are you in love with J-Min yet?"
"EXCUSE ME?!"
"Just asking." He slurps his bubble tea. "I mean, he's obsessed with you, so..."
Yuna's brain practically blue-screens. "He is NOT..."
Sori interrupts. "He kind of is."
Taewon sighs. "Don't look at me. I'm tired."
Mina is bouncing in her seat, grinning so hard it looks painful. "Sooooo...does this mean Yuna's officially part of HWAON now?! Like an honorary member?! Can we give her a stage name?!"
Ari tilts her head, considering. "How about...Espresso Flame?"
"No," Yuna says flatly.
"Coffee Noona," Raejin proposes.
"Absolutely not."
Sori cackles. "Ooh! Latte Queen."
"I WILL WALK OUT RIGHT NOW."
Mina, meanwhile, has utterly forgotten any promises to "be normal." She's already cornered Taewon with her phone, breathlessly requesting selfies.
"Taewon, look at the camera...YES, YASS, WORK IT..."
Taewon, deadpan: "We are so doomed."
Raejin photobombs half of them, sticking his tongue out or pretending to faint dramatically in Yuna's direction.
Ari and Sori start critiquing Mina's Instagram filters.
"No. More warmth," Ari instructs. "You're making his skin look ashy."
Sori flicks her hair over her shoulder. "And crop out Raejin's face. He's ruining the aesthetic."
"HEY," Raejin squawks.
Yuna sits there, half mortified, half weirdly fascinated.
Once Mina finally sits down (panting like a dog who just chased a squirrel), the group resumes grilling Yuna.
"So," Taewon says, clasping his hands solemnly, "what are your intentions with our idiot?"
Yuna makes a high-pitched noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I have no intentions!"
"Lies," Raejin declares.
Sori leans forward. "You're blushing."
"I'm always blushing! That's just my face!"
Ari nods wisely. "It's true. Her aura is screaming confusion and sexual frustration."
"THANK YOU FOR THAT," Yuna wails.
A voice calls from the hallway: "Why does it sound like a circus in here?!"
The entire group spins around as J-Min appears in the doorway, wearing black joggers, a white T-shirt and damp hair like he just finished dance practice. He freezes when he sees Yuna.
"Oh. You're...here," he says, a little breathlessly.
Yuna's heart does a somersault. "Hi."
Raejin immediately shrieks. "J-Min, SHE'S SOFTENING WHEN YOU TALK, JUST LIKE THE TIKTOKS SAID..."
J-Min throws a sweatshirt at Raejin's face. "Shut up."
Mina swoons so violently she nearly falls off her chair.
J-Min comes over, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about them. They're...a lot."
"They're fine," Yuna lies, though her ears are still ringing.
J-Min glances at Ari. "Did you give her the crystal?"
"Yes," Ari says primly. "It's amethyst. For clarity and protection from gossip demons."
J-Min looks at Yuna. "You...uh...might need that."
Yuna's throat goes dry. "Oh. Yeah. Maybe."
Their eyes lock. The group goes dead silent. Even Raejin stops chewing his bubble tea straw.
Sori mutters under her breath. "God, just kiss already."
Yuna's eyes widen. "SORIIIIIII."
Suddenly Yuna's phone buzzes. She answers, grateful for the distraction.
"Hi, Mom..."
Her mother shrieks so loudly Yuna flinches. "WHO IS THIS J-MIN BOY?!"
"Oh my god, Mom, please..."
"I saw the news! The rooftop pictures! The muffin crumbs! ARE YOU SECRETLY MARRIED?!"
Taewon mutters, "Muffin crumbs... legendary."
J-Min coughs into his hand, going beet red.
"WE WANT TO MEET HIM!" her mother continues. "Your father has QUESTIONS."
Yuna yells, "No one is meeting anyone! I'm hanging up..."
Click.
Mina is howling with laughter. "OH MY GOD. YOUR MOM THINKS YOU'RE MARRIED."
J-Min gently takes the phone out of Yuna's trembling hand. "Do you want me to talk to your parents?"
Yuna nearly combusts. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"I could reassure them. Or bribe them with concert tickets."
Yuna squeaks. "Absolutely not."
Taewon sighs. "He's probably right. Bribery works wonders."
Raejin nods solemnly. "Especially with aunties."
At last, the others drift away to practice, leaving J-Min and Yuna alone. The silence feels charged, buzzing like static.
He shuffles closer. "I'm sorry about the photos. And...well...everything."
Yuna swallows hard. "It's not your fault."
"I mean. Technically it's my fault. Because I'm me."
Yuna tries to laugh. "It's fine."
J-Min glances away, then back. His voice drops. "It's not just PR, you know."
Yuna freezes. "What?"
He leans in so close she can feel his breath on her cheek. "This...thing. With us. It's not fake for me."
Yuna's entire brain short-circuits.
Just as J-Min's lips are about half an inch from hers, Raejin explodes back into the room:
"J-Min! HELP! ARI'S TRYING TO READ MY VIBES AND SHE SAYS I HAVE BAD JUJU!"
Yuna and J-Min jump apart like electrocuted cats.
Taewon sticks his head in. "Also, Mina is crying because she just touched Sori's shoulder and Sori threatened to murder her. We're so doomed."
J-Min sighs. "Welcome to my life."
Yuna tries not to scream.
Mina bursts in, eyes wet. "CAN WE GO NOW?!"
"Yes," Yuna croaks.
Ari calls after her, "Take your amethyst!"
Sori smirks. "Good luck surviving the fans."
Raejin yells, "BYE NOONA! I LOVE YOU!"
Taewon just sighs, shaking his head. "We are so doomed."
J-Min watches her leave, looking half devastated, half determined.
And as Yuna drags Mina toward the exit, her phone buzzes with a new headline notification:
J-MIN'S MYSTERY GIRL MEETS HWAON: THE K-DRAMA CONTINUES
She closes her eyes and wonders if it's too late to join a monastery.