I know.

You should’ve seen this coming — actually, no. Everyone should’ve seen this coming.

It wasn’t just the members. Not just the managers, the stylists, or even the company staff. At this point, half the industry had figured it out before you did.

Ever since the Honey Incident (as Wonyoung dubbed it, bless her tired soul), Yujin had apparently decided that embarrassing you in public wasn’t enough. At first, it was harmless and still pretty cute. She’d joke around, tease you about being too serious, drape herself over you in public like you were her personal couch, and demand your attention at all times.

Then it got worse.

Somehow, somewhere along the line, she had started treating you less like a bodyguard and more like her favourite person in the world.

Which, um, led to this moment.

An Yujin, the ever-cheeky, ever-confident leader of Everg— wait, fuck, wrong group, IVE, was standing in front of you, blushing, in the practice room.

You had been assigned to keep watch while they rehearsed, standing by the door as the girls went over their choreography for the millionth time that day. It was routine at this point — watch them sweat, keep an eye out for potential threats (especially if it involves a certain puppy), and occasionally stop Liz and Rei from sneaking off to buy bubble tea. The usual.

But today felt…off.

No, not Yujin being annoying again (though she had tried to balance a water bottle on your head as you watched over them). This was something else.

You first noticed it when Yujin kept sneaking glances at you between dance breaks. These were more hesitant, more…nervous. Which was…very out of character of her. Because An Yujin never gets nervous around you.

“Alright, let’s wrap up here,” their choreographer finally announced.

The members groaned in relief, collapsing onto the floor like a pile of exhausted puppies…well except for Yujin. Yujin was staring at you. Menacingly.

And before you could question it, she marched over.

“Hey,” she said.

You narrowed your eyes. “…What’s up, Yuu?”

She bit her lip, shifting on her feet. Her eyes were looking at anywhere but you. “So, uh…”

Code Red. She was acting weird.

Yujin never hesitated when speaking to you. Usually, she was all smug grins and playful insults. But now? She looked like she was about to combust.

The rest of IVE noticed, because of course they did. They had enough of Yujin fiddling around in their dorm.

“Oh my god,” Wonyoung mumbled from her spot on the floor. “It’s happening.”

“What’s happening, unnie?” Leeseo whispered.

“She’s finally doing that,” Rei deadpanned.

Liz let out a long, suffering sigh. “Took her long enough.”

Gaeul rubbed her temples. “I don’t have the energy for this.”

Meanwhile, you were still trying to process what was happening when Yujin squared her shoulders, sucked in a deep breath, and gave you her ultimatum.

“I LIKE YOU!”

Silence. The whole room froze. The whole world froze. And your brain short-circuited.

“…Huh?”

Yujin, still bright red, clenched her fists. “I LIKE YOU, OKAY?!”

Her voice cracked slightly.

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

She groaned, running a hand through her already sweat-damp hair. “Do I really have to say it again?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh.” She took another deep breath. “I LIKE YOU. ROMANTICALLY. LIKE, IN A DATE-Y WAY. LIKE, I WANT TO HOLD HANDS AND STUFF!”

From the floor, Wonyoung gagged. “Unnie, please stop talking.”

Liz groaned into her hands. “This is a nightmare.”

Leeseo, innocently, started clapping. “Go, unnie! Be brave!”

Yujin shot them a glare before turning back to you. “So? What do you think?”

You stared at her. Then at the other members, who looked like they were witnessing a murder scene. Then back at her.

“…Are you serious?” “Dead serious.”

What the…what?

Of all the things An Yujin could’ve done today or any other days — steal your sunglasses, challenge you to an arm-wrestling match, make up some dumb nickname for you—this was not on your bingo card.

But here she was.

The girl who spent the last few months making your life a constant struggle, the girl who clung to you like a koala and made sure everyone and their grandmother knew you were her bodyguard was now standing in front of you, blushing, waiting for an answer.

“…Absolutely not,” you said flatly.

Yujin gasped. Genuinely gasped. Like you had just betrayed her.

“Rejected?! On my first attempt?!”

“You literally threw the truth bomb at me, Yujin—”

“This is a historic moment,” she muttered, shaking her head. “An Yujin, turned down for the first time in her life… I don’t know how to recover from this…”