You Shook Me

Watching her perform was always a pleasure for you.

That day was a musical show day, and as always, you accompanied Sully. You accompanied her to almost all her activities, in fact.

Your followers on the purple platform had grown considerably and were still booming, and your audience was becoming increasingly loyal to your content, so you could afford not to go live for a day or two and spend time with Sully. It hardly bothered you at all.

Others were fussy about being a public figure and dating a public figure twice as famous as you, but your entire audience spoke English, you were sure that no one would recognize you in Korea; you were simply another foreigner with a certain level of fame, and that was it.

Of course, you couldn't take her wherever you wanted, firstly because that would mean a big problem with Haewon, and secondly because Sully could get into trouble. Serious trouble.

You'd already had quite a scare a few weeks ago.

You had picked Sully up from one of her practices that night. You arrived in your car around 11 p.m. and called her to let her know. Just as you knew she was about to leave the building, you saw some rather suspicious people moving in your rearview mirror, with what appeared to be cameras that went completely unnoticed. Dispatch? Probably. Quickly, in a panic, you called her again while pulling up your hoodie and slouching down in the seat so they wouldn't see you. You told her to stay inside for a while as they left. Half an hour passed, and seeing that they weren't going to get anywhere, they left. Even so, not feeling entirely safe, you had to pick up Sully through a side exit, reserved only for staff.

Despite all the difficulties, everything was going wonderfully, and few things could ruin your day. Your relationship with Sully—you'd count Jinni, but yours with her, if you could even call it a relationship, was much more on and off—was healthy, and you felt that absolutely nothing could improve it.

As usual, you had to wait in the dressing room with the rest of the team while they filmed their respective performances for the show. It was a more spacious room than usual, but the furniture arrangement was practically the same: work tables with chairs and mirrors spread across three walls, two medium-sized sofas, and a 32-inch television in one corner, where the live footage was being shown.

You were sitting on one of the two sofas while talking to Sully's stylist, who today opted for two braids on either side of her head and an outfit that, as always, highlighted her curvy figure and her best feature: that flat, smooth, and beautiful stomach that drove you crazy. An exceptional job, without a doubt. They should give the stylist a raise, you thought.

As the minutes ticked by, the recording finally ended, and the screen went black with the SBS Inkigayo logo in the center. You took out your phone and waited patiently while the girls returned to the dressing room.

About 15 minutes passed before you finally saw Haewon peek through the door and enter, followed by Lily, Bae, and your girlfriend.

"Oh, you're here already. Someone's going to be so happy to see you," Haewon said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the mirrors.

Sully still hadn't realized you'd arrived, and as soon as she saw you, her eyes sparkled like two shimmering pearls. You stood up, and she ran toward you with a radiant smile from ear to ear to hug you.

"Hi, honey," you murmured so only she could hear, "You were amazing today." You gave her a quick kiss on the temple, after making sure no one was watching.

"Hey, d..." I was about to call you as usual, but just then a stylist walked past you. "Really?" she said, taking a small step back and placing her hands on your chest. "The camera work was a little strange this time, lots of close-ups."

"Oh, yeah, I noticed," you nodded, "but hey, it was great! Plus, you look really good with those braids and that outfit," you said, glancing at her gray sweater with red stripes.

"Mmm, I prefer to wear my hair down, but thanks... daddy," she murmured, now sure that no one was around. "Oh, I'm hungry, can we go get something to eat? Please?"

Lily had sat down in the same spot on the sofa where you had been earlier, and as soon as she heard the word "eat," she jumped up and sat next to you.

"Can I come with you?" she asked with a slight smile. Sully seemed a little puzzled, but as always, she let you have the last word.

"Sure, let's go," you said, pointing towards the exit.

The SBS facilities seemed a bit confusing and strange to you; it was only your second time there, and the first time had been so long ago that you didn't even remember where things were. You had no choice but to let Lily and Sully guide you through the corridors, until you reached a common area with vending machines of all kinds.

There were several idols from different groups that you recognized instantly: Tsuki and Suhyeon from Billie, Solar from Mamamoo, Serim from Cravity, and two girls from a group you were a fan of, but whom you'd never met because of the different schedules between your girlfriend's group and theirs: Isa and Sumin from STAYC.

"Damn!" Sully and Lily were ahead of you. You had to grab their forearms to make them stop. "How many people do you know there?"

"No one," Sully admitted, realizing what you'd said, and now even more nervous than you.

"Come on, you don't have to talk to anyone!" Lily exclaimed, showing off her extroversion in front of two introverts like you. "Just smile and say hi."

“Easy for you to say, you’re Australian,” you said, glancing discreetly at Isa, who was walking with Sumin toward one of the vending machines.

Her outfit was simple, but it suited her beautifully; the red of her sweater highlighted her red hair in a lovely way, and her denim skirt revealed her pale, shapely legs, an attractive feature that caught your attention for a moment.

“What does that have to do with me being Australian?” Lily turned around, confused, and you had to pretend you weren’t looking at Isa.

“I don’t know, I’ve never met an Australian who wasn’t very sociable,” you shrugged, and then you saw Sully, who seemed quite distracted, looking in the same direction you had been a moment before. “Honey?”

“Huh?” she turned around, a little confused. “Oh, sorry,” she started fidgeting with her hands. “Go on ahead, okay?”

"Huh? Are you sure? Hmm... okay."

Wandering around among all those celebrities you didn't know personally was a little easier than you thought, but you couldn't help feeling like a fish out of water.

Everyone was very kind and friendly, greeting you and smiling back. Even Solar, who you thought would be a bit tougher because of her years in the industry, greeted Lily and Sully warmly and told them she was a big fan of their latest comeback.

The trouble started when you got to one of the snack vending machines, right next to the one Isa and Sumin were using. You greeted them like everyone else, and then let Sully and Lily do their thing, looking at each row of the vending machine only to ask Sully if anything caught your eye.

Until you noticed they were watching you.

You turned your head and glanced at the wall between the vending machines, catching a glimpse of the two STAYC girls looking at you as they discussed what to buy.

"Ugh! I don't know whether to get barley tea or purple corn tea," Isa said, looking at the cold drinks section of the vending machine.

"I think I'll get strawberry milk," Sumin replied beside her. "Oh, and Seeun wants a Gatorade, for some reason."

You turned your head a few more inches, just as Isa looked at you. You exchanged glances with her, and three seconds passed as she looked at you with her two pretty, bright, kitten-like eyes before you looked back at the front.

The girls were still choosing snacks, but again you noticed Sully was strangely distracted, as if something else had completely taken her mind off what was happening. You followed her movements with your eyes and realized that what had her so distracted was the same reason you felt watched.

Sully couldn't stop looking at Isa. It wasn't that she was staring at her completely, but every few seconds she'd give her a shy, discreet glance. You knew your girlfriend, and you knew those eyes were more than just those of a girl looking to make a friend. A thought crossed your mind, but it vanished like a shooting star; you were just daydreaming.

"Seol Yoonah!" Lily exclaimed, annoyed, looking at Sully when she noticed her obvious distraction. "Do you want to get what you want or not?"

"Oh, yes, yes, sorry, unnie," Sully apologized once again, snapping out of her trance.

When they finished grabbing the snacks, you, Sully, and Lily started walking back to the dressing rooms.

You walked a few steps with Lily in front, until a calm, sweet voice stopped you.

"Unnie!"

The three of you turned around and found yourselves facing Isa, with Sumin waiting a few steps behind.

"Um... I wanted to tell you that... well, I love your song!" she said somewhat hesitantly, with the most adorable smile you'd ever seen. "I always watch all your performances."

She was speaking directly to Sully. You and Lily exchanged glances, and she simply shrugged, making a "let her socialize" gesture.