Divine Intervention

EARLIER THAT MORNING - AEWOL Beach RESORT & SPA - PILATES STUDIO

The private Pilates studio at Aewol Beach Resort was a statement of minimalist elegance - blonde wood, white walls, all the expensive simplicity that screamed exclusivity. Outside, the morning sun sparkled off the ocean like scattered diamonds.

Inside, two of K-pop's most recognizable leaders were suffering.

"Twenty more seconds," Hana, the instructor, said in that serene-yet-sadistic tone that all Pilates teachers seemed to master. "Keep that core engaged, Yeji-ssi."

Yeji was shaking. Her arms trembled as she held plank position on the reformer, sweat dripping down her temples. Every muscle in her body screamed. But it wasn't just the workout - though Hana was indeed a certified demon in Lululemon. No, Yeji was sore in places Pilates didn't target.

Her hips ached. Her thighs burned. There was a pleasant soreness between her legs that had nothing to do with inner-thigh work and everything to do with the three rounds of increasingly athletic sex she'd had with Minho before class.

"Time," Hana announced. "Beautiful work, ladies. Hit the sauna, hydrate, and I'll see you both next session."

Yeji collapsed onto the reformer with zero grace. Beside her, Karina dismounted her machine with the effortless poise of someone who hadn’t been thoroughly railed that morning. She looked perfect - hair in a sleek ponytail, skin glowing, sports bra and leggings hugging curves that seemed to defy physics.

"You okay?" Karina asked, offering Yeji a hand up.

"Fine," Yeji grunted, accepting the help. "Just... worked hard this morning."

"Pilates is brutal," Karina agreed, though her tone suggested she didn't quite believe that was the full story.

They grabbed their towels and water bottles, heading toward the spa area. The sauna was private, reserved for their session. Cedar-lined walls, soft lighting, and the dry heat that made everything feel both relaxing and slightly hallucinogenic. Yeji wrapped herself in a towel and settled onto the upper bench with a groan of relief.

Karina sat across from her, studying her friend with those sharp, knowing eyes.

"So," Karina said after a moment of comfortable silence. "Did your trainee friend visit?"

Yeji's head snapped up. "What?"

"Minho," Karina clarified, smiling slightly. "You mentioned he might be coming down to Jeju. I'm guessing he's here, based on the way you're moving."

"I'm moving normally," Yeji protested.

"You literally groaned sitting down," Karina pointed out. "And you've been glowing since we started. That's not a Pilates glow, Yeji-ya. That's an 'I got thoroughly fucked' glow. I know the difference."

Yeji opened her mouth to deny it, then sighed. There was no point lying to Karina. They'd been friends long enough - leaders of competing groups who understood each other's pressures in ways their own members couldn't. They'd shared secrets, struggles, and more than a few wild nights over the years.

"Yeah," Yeji admitted. "He's here. Staying at our villa for a few days."

Karina's eyebrows rose. "You invited him? To vacation? With your members?"

"Is that weird?"

"Yeji." Karina leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "You never invite guys on vacation. You barely introduce guys to the group. You keep your fun completely separate from your work life. It's like... your number one rule."

"Minho's different," Yeji said quietly.

"How different?" Karina pressed. "You've been fucking him for what, five years? But I've never seen you look like this when you talk about him."

"Like what?"

"Like he matters," Karina said softly. "Not just as a good lay. Like he actually matters to you."

Yeji was silent for a long moment, the heat of the sauna pressing down on her like a physical weight. She felt exposed in a way that had nothing to do with the towel.

"He does matter," she finally admitted. "He's... the only person who saw me at my worst and didn't judge me. Back during training, when I was falling apart, convinced I'd fail - he was there. Helped me. Not because he wanted something." She paused. "Because he cared."

"And now?"

"And now I don't know what we are," Yeji confessed. "We say friends. We're not. We say casual. It's not. I invited him because I wanted him here. Vacation without him felt wrong." Her voice dropped. "I'm terrified of what that means."

Karina waited, sensing there was more.

Yeji stared at the cedar wall, the heat making everything feel both too real and slightly dreamlike. "You want to know something fucked up? During the world tour - six months, twenty-seven cities - I didn't hook up with anyone else. Not once."

Karina's eyebrows rose. "That's not fucked up, that's called being busy -"

"No, Rina, you don't understand." Yeji's voice dropped. "I didn't want to. Thought about it and felt sick. Actually revolted." She laughed bitterly. "You know me. You know what I was like before. Ryu and I were unstoppable - we'd share guys at award show afterparties, rate their performances over breakfast, drag each other to every industry party like it was our religion. I'd fuck a hot backup dancer in a hotel stairwell between shows. Wouldn't think twice." Her voice softened. "But on this tour? Couldn't even imagine letting someone else touch me. The idea made my skin crawl. And I couldn't tell Ryujin why, because I didn't understand it myself."

Karina stared at her. "Wait. You? Hwang Yeji? The same Hwang Yeji who used to leave award show afterparties with a different idol every time?"

"I know."

"The Hwang Yeji who had that thing with the Enhypen guys after KCON and then showed up to Music Bank the next day like nothing happened?"

"I know."

"What the fuck happened to you?"

Yeji was quiet for a moment. "There was this party. In Busan, before the tour. A yacht thing - industry people, you know the kind. I brought him. As my date." She paused, letting that sink in. "He met my members."

Karina's eyes widened. She knew enough about Yeji's compartmentalization to understand what that meant. "You introduced him to the girls?"

"Not... intentionally. They ambushed us. And afterward..." Yeji trailed off, something complicated passing over her face. "Something shifted that night. I can't explain it. But after that, the thought of anyone else touching me felt wrong. Like a betrayal. Even though we'd never said we were exclusive. Even though I had no right to feel that way."

"Yeji..."

"It got worse." She pulled her knees up to her chest, making herself smaller. "On the tour, I couldn't even get myself off properly. Hotel room, 3 AM, exhausted but wired after a show - nothing worked unless I thought about him. And even then." She stared at the wall. "Not enough. I'd finish and feel emptier than before."

Karina was quiet for a long moment, processing this. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. "How many sleepless nights?"

"I stopped counting after the first month." Yeji laughed bitterly. "I'd lie there staring at the ceiling, body aching, mind racing, and the only thing I wanted was to call him. Not even for sexy time - just to hear his voice. To feel like I existed to someone outside of 'ITZY's leader.'"

"Did you call him?"

"A few times. Late. He always answered." Yeji's voice softened at the memory. "He'd talk to me about nothing - his day, some drama he was watching, random thoughts about music production. And I'd fall asleep to the sound of his voice like some lovesick teenager."

Karina studied her friend's face - the vulnerability there, the exhaustion that had nothing to do with Pilates. "You know what this sounds like, right?"