Damage Control

The Top Floor was too quiet. Not peaceful quiet, ambush quiet. The kind of quiet that meant everyone had already woken up, already gathered somewhere, and already decided I was the morning’s main topic without inviting me to the meeting.

I fixed the front of my shirt, ran a hand through my hair, and stepped into the common area with the careful composure of a man who absolutely did not look like he had just spent the night in Yuna’s room. Unfortunately, Yeji was already there. So were Lia and Ryujin. All three sat around the kitchen island like a tribunal with breakfast privileges. Yeji had coffee. Lia had tea. Ryujin had cereal— directly from the box.

I stopped walking. “No,” I said immediately.
Ryujin looked up, spoon still in her mouth.
“You don’t even know what we’re going to say.”
“I know the category.”
Lia took a slow sip of tea.
“That sounds like guilt.”
“That sounds like self-preservation.”

Yeji did not say anything at first. That was worse. She only looked at me over the rim of her cup, calm and unreadable in that very specific way that meant she had already understood everything and was deciding how merciful she felt.

I looked at her. She looked back. Then I very carefully started turning toward the hallway again. “Nope.” Yeji set her cup down “Ben.” I froze.

Ryujin’s spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. Lia’s brows lifted slightly. Yeji’s voice stayed soft “Come back.” I closed my eyes. “Yeji.”

“Be a good boy and sit.”

 Silence. Immediate. Catastrophic. Ryujin slowly lowered the cereal box. Lia blinked once. Yeji seemed to realize what she had said only after it had already taken physical form in the room, but to her credit, she did not take it back. I turned around. Looked at her. Looked at Ryujin. Looked at Lia. Then walked back to the kitchen island and sat down on the stool beside Yeji.

Ryujin stared at me “Oh my God.”
“Do not.”
“She really just—”
“Ryujin.”
“And you really just—”
“Ryujin.”

Lia covered her mouth with one hand, though whether from shock or amusement, I could not tell. Yeji lifted her coffee again with the calm of a woman who had decided to survive by pretending nothing strange had happened.

“That worked too well,” Ryujin whispered.
“It did not,” I said.
“You sat.”
“I chose diplomacy.”
“You obeyed.”
“I chose survival.”

Lia finally lowered her hand. “That was… informative.”

“Nothing was informed,” I said.
Ryujin pointed her spoon at Yeji.
“She has him on a leash.”

Yeji turned pink immediately. “I do not.”
I looked at Ryujin. “Incorrect.”
Yeji slowly turned toward me.
I cleared my throat “I meant emotionally.”
“That did not help,” Lia said.
Ryujin leaned back, delighted “This breakfast is already historic.”
I rubbed my forehead “I need coffee.”
“You need accountability,” Ryujin corrected.
“I need silence.”
“You live here,” Lia said calmly. “Be realistic.”

Outstanding. Yeji finally looked at me properly. There was no accusation in her expression. No anger. No hurt. Obvious enough for anyone else to name. Just steadiness. And that somehow made me feel more exposed. “It happened,” I said quietly.

The kitchen went still. Not shocked. Just still. Because no one needed to ask who. Yuna had been quiet last night. Yuna had looked at me differently. Yuna had told me to rest. They already knew. Ryujin’s eyebrows lifted anyway, because naturally she was allergic to silence.

“So.”
“No.”
“I haven’t asked anything.”
“You are about to.”
“I was going to be tasteful.”
“No, you were not.”
“I was going to try.”
“No, you were not.”

Lia took another sip of tea “He is correct.”
Ryujin looked offended “I am capable of tact.”

Yeji looked at her. Ryujin sighed.
“Fine. I am capable of delaying tactless commentary.”
“That is closer,” Lia said.

Yeji’s gaze returned to me “She’s asleep?”
I nodded.
“She was when I left.”

That softened something in her face. Good. That was the first thing that mattered. Lia set her cup down. “Is she okay?”

“Yes.” The answer came out immediately. No hesitation. Lia watched me for another second, then nodded. Ryujin leaned forward, her teasing dimming just slightly around the edges “Okay as in okay, or okay as in you’re doing manager-language damage control?” I looked at her “Okay as in she was safe, comfortable, and resting.” Ryujin’s face shifted, not much, but enough.  “Good,” she said.

Then, because she was Ryujin, she immediately ruined the softness. “So Yuna got the careful version.” I stared at her. “Ryujin.”

“What? I’m not asking for details. I’m categorizing.”
Lia closed her eyes “Please don’t.”

Ryujin ignored her completely.

“Yeji gets the emotionally devastating version. Lia gets the quiet slow-burn version. I get the version with workplace violations.”

“Ryujin,” Yeji warned.
“And Yuna gets the first-time careful version.”

I looked at her. She smiled sweetly. “I’m just saying the ecosystem is diversifying.” Lia covered her face “I hate that that sentence made sense.” Yeji sighed into her coffee. I stared at the counter.

“I am going to retire.”
“You are underpaid,” Lia said. “You cannot afford retirement.”
“That is deeply cruel.”
“That is technically your contract.”

Ryujin pointed at Lia “She’s on fire today.”
“I am tired,” Lia corrected. “There is a difference.”

Yeji’s voice came quieter “Were you gentle with her?” The question was not for me at first. Not fully. It slipped out like something she had been holding beneath everything else. Ryujin stopped moving. Lia looked at Yeji. I looked at her too. Yeji did not take the question back. Her expression remained calm, but there was something beneath it now. Not jealousy exactly. Not fear. Responsibility.

She was not asking because she wanted details. She was asking because it was Yuna. Because Yuna was bold and reckless and proud, but still the youngest. Because Yeji had carried that kind of responsibility longer than any of them liked to admit. I answered immediately.

“Yes.” Yeji held my gaze. I did not look away. “I was careful,” I said. “She didn’t have to prove anything. Not to me. Not to herself.” Something softened in Yeji’s face. That was the only answer that mattered. Lia’s voice gentled. “She was nervous?”

I hesitated. Not because I didn’t want to answer. Because it felt like Yuna’s truth to give. “She was honest,” I said finally. “That mattered more.” Lia understood. Ryujin leaned back, quieter now. “Our Yuna being honest is more terrifying than our Yuna being shameless.”

“That is accurate,” Yeji murmured.

I looked at all three of them. “You knew?” Ryujin scoffed. “Ben.” Lia tilted her head. “She told you to rest last night.” Yeji looked down into her cup. “And she looked at you like she had stopped trying to win.” That landed harder than I expected.

Ryujin nodded.

“She spent a week trying to make you lose control. Then suddenly she was quiet and told you to take care of yourself. That is not subtle.” I exhaled slowly.

“She said she wasn’t asking for Yeji’s place.” The kitchen softened again. Even Ryujin. Especially Ryujin, maybe. Yeji went very still.

“She said that?”
“Yes.”

My voice lowered. “I went to her room.” The answer was simple, but not careless. Yeji understood what I meant. I did not take Yuna into the space that belonged to us. I did not blur that line. I did not pretend the room did not matter. Yeji’s gaze softened. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Ryujin looked between us and made a face “God, you two are emotionally married.”
Lia nodded “They are.”

Yeji turned slightly pink. I stared at Ryujin “You are eating cereal from a box. You don’t get to judge marriage dynamics.”

“I am spiritually qualified.”
“No, you are not.”
“I have experience.”
“That is not the same thing.”

Before Ryujin could make the conversation worse, there was movement down the hall. All of us turned. Yuna appeared at the edge of the kitchen wearing the same oversized hoodie from last night, hair messy, face still soft from sleep. She stopped when she saw all of us. Then her eyes moved from Yeji, to Lia, to Ryujin, to me. A slow understanding settled over her face.

Then she gasped. Not naturally. Theatrically. “Oh,” she said, pressing one hand lightly against her chest. “So this is where you went.” I stared at her “Yuna.” She looked at me with wide, wounded eyes that did not fool a single person in the room. “You left me sleeping alone after taking my virginity?”

Silence. Immediate. Catastrophic.

Ryujin’s spoon froze halfway to her mouth. Lia closed her eyes like she had just felt a headache arrive in real time. Yeji made a tiny sound into her coffee. I stared at the ceiling. “Outstanding,” I muttered. “Fantastic. We’re starting there.” Yuna tilted her head, still pretending to be hurt “What? I woke up and you were gone.”

“You were asleep.”
“So you admit it.”
“That I let you sleep?”
“That you abandoned me.”
“To get coffee.”
“After taking my virginity.”

Ryujin slowly lowered her cereal box “I have never been happier to be awake.”
Lia sighed “Yuna.”
Yuna’s eyes flicked toward her, bright with mischief now.
“What? It’s true.”

Yeji finally set her cup down, her cheeks faintly pink but her expression trying very hard to remain leader-like. “There are gentler ways to say that.” Yuna thought about it for exactly one second. Then smiled. “Ben left my room after a very meaningful personal milestone.”

Ryujin nodded solemnly “Worse.” Lia covered her mouth. I looked at Yuna “I didn’t give them any details, you know.” That changed her expression. Just slightly. The performance softened. The teasing remained, but beneath it, something warmer appeared.

“He didn’t?” she asked.
Yeji nodded “More like he refused.”
Lia added calmly, “Annoyingly well.”
Ryujin looked offended “Heroically annoying.”

Yuna stared at me for one second. Then something in her face softened fully. Not because she was embarrassed. Because she understood what I had protected.

Then, naturally, she ruined it again.

“Oh,” she said, walking toward the kitchen island.
“So I have to tell them myself?”

I closed my eyes. Ryujin sat up so fast the cereal nearly spilled.
Lia whispered, “Oh no.”
Yeji sighed “Yuna.”

Yuna smiled. There she was. Still tired. Still changed. Still dangerous; But smiling again.

“What?” she asked sweetly. “They were curious.”
Ryujin pointed at her “See? She understands journalism.”
“It is not journalism,” Lia said.
“It is if the source volunteers,” Ryujin replied.

Yuna slipped onto the stool beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushed mine. Not accidental, but softer than her usual attacks. Yeji noticed she always does. Yuna looked at her first. That mattered. “He was careful,” Yuna said. The whole room quieted. Just like that. No jokes. Just Yuna, saying the first thing that actually mattered. Yeji’s expression softened “I know.” Yuna blinked. Then looked at me “He told you?”

“He told us that and it was enough,” Lia said gently.
Ryujin’s voice came quieter than usual “He refused to be fun.”
Yuna smiled faintly “Good.”

That one hit me harder than expected. Then she leaned back slightly, gathering herself. Not because she was shy. Because she was deciding how much of herself she wanted to put in the room. “It was my choice,” Yuna said. “I asked him. I wanted him. And I knew what I was doing.”

 Yeji held her gaze “I believe you.”
Yuna’s smile softened “Thank you.”

Then Ryujin raised her hand.

“That was beautiful. Deeply mature. Very important. Now, with respect—”
“No,” Yeji said immediately.
Ryujin pointed at Yuna.
“She said she would tell us herself.”
“I said I had to,” Yuna corrected. “That doesn’t mean I’m giving you a documentary.”
Ryujin’s mouth dropped open “Betrayal.”

Lia looked toward Yuna, her concern more visible now “Are you actually alright?” Yuna’s expression softened.
Yeji continued, careful but direct “We meant physically too. It was your first time, and Ben is…” She stopped. Her eyes flicked briefly toward me. Then away.

Ryujin grinned slowly “Unfairly gifted?”
Yeji covered her face.
Lia sighed. “Me and Yeji were trying to be tactful.”
“That was your first mistake,” Ryujin said.

Yuna looked between all of them. Then, shamelessly:

“Oh he IS ‘unfairly gifted’, and it hurt.”

I immediately stared at the counter. Yeji made a strangled sound. Lia’s eyes widened. Ryujin looked like Christmas had arrived early.

Yuna lifted one shoulder “What? It did.”
“Yuna,” Yeji said weakly.
“But,” Yuna continued, glancing at me, and this time the smile turned softer, “he was so gentle that I barely remember the pain first.”

The room went quiet again.

Yuna’s voice lowered “I remember how careful he was. How nice it felt when I stopped being scared of it. How he kept checking if I was okay even when I was the one pulling him closer.” She looked down for half a second, fingers brushing lightly against the sleeve of her hoodie.

“I remember him asking if I was alright. Over and over. I remember how slowly he moved until I adjusted. And I remember thinking that I didn’t feel rushed. Or stupid. Or small.” Her eyes lifted back to mine. “Ben made me feel seen, cared for, and wanted at the same time.”

That silenced the room in a way I did not know what to do with. Lia looked at me with a warm, appreciative smile. Ryujin, somehow, did not look remotely embarrassed by any of this. Yeji, on the other hand, was blushing harder than I had ever seen her blush in my life. Lia looked back at Yuna “I’m glad he took care of y—”

“— and then Ben proceeded to have his way with me.”

Silence.

Then Ryujin came back to life like someone had plugged her directly into a power source “THAT’S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR”
“Ryujin,” Lia said, horrified.
“What? She said it. I didn’t drag it out of her.”
“You were absolutely waiting with a shovel,” Yeji muttered.

Ryujin pointed at Yuna. “And she buried us herself. Respect.”
I slowly lifted one hand “Can we maybe not describe this like a crime scene?”
Yuna looked at me, eyes bright with mischief “But you were very thorough.”

Lia made a tiny sound and immediately reached for her tea. Yeji stared into her coffee like the surface might open and save her. Ryujin leaned forward “Define thorough.”

“No,” I said.
Yuna smiled “Do you want the emotional definition or the physical one?”
“Yuna,” Yeji said, voice cracking slightly.
“What?” Yuna looked genuinely pleased with herself now. “I’m being honest.”
“There are gentler ways to be honest,” I said.
Yuna turned toward me “You came inside me three times nonstop.”

Yeji slowly lifted her face from her hands and looked at me with disbelief so sharp it should have required paperwork. Lia’s warmth vanished instantly, replaced by the calm, flat stare of a woman rescinding all emotional credit she had given me ten seconds ago. Ryujin looked hungry— and not for cereal.

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again “It is not what all of you are thinking.”
Ryujin slapped the counter “It is exactly what I’m thinking.”
“You do not even know the context.”
“I don’t need context. I have numbers.”
Lia looked at me “Ben.”
“That tone sounds unfair.”
“That tone is extremely fair.”
Yeji was still staring at me “Three?”
I looked at her “Babe, that is a very hostile question.”
“It is a numerical question.”
“Numbers can be hostile.”
Ryujin pointed at Yeji “She’s jealous.”
Yeji immediately turned redder “I am not.”
Ryujin’s grin widened “You are.”
“I am not jealous.”
Lia looked at Yeji “You are a little.”
Yeji looked betrayed “Lia.”
“I said a little.”
Ryujin leaned back, delighted “Leader-nim is jealous because Yuna got quantity.”

Yeji covered her face again “I cannot believe this is happening before coffee.” Yuna rested her chin in one hand and smiled at Yeji “Unnie, you still have quality.”

“That does not help,” Yeji said through her hands.
I rubbed my forehead “It really does not.”
Ryujin looked at me “Wait. Does Yeji not get quantity?”
I stared at her “Ryujin.”

Yeji slowly lowered her hands. Her face was still flushed, but her eyes had narrowed now. Not angry. Worse. Playfully dangerous. “That is a good question.”

I looked at her “Babe... Please… Not like this.” She tilted her head “I am just asking for clarification.” Ryujin pointed between us, delighted “Oh, she’s using your manager voice against you.” Lia sipped her tea “Efficient.”

Yeji looked at me over her cup, cheeks still pink but expression far too composed “I enjoy the quality Ben gives me.” My soul left my body. Ryujin made a strangled sound. Yuna’s eyes widened with immediate interest. Lia closed her eyes. Yeji continued, quieter but very much audible “But apparently I should have negotiated quantity too.”

The sound Ryujin made was not human. Yuna dissolved into laughter against the counter. Lia whispered, “Yeji.” Yeji finally looked away, face burning, but the smallest smile tugged at her mouth like she was proud of herself and horrified by it at the same time.

I stared at her “You cannot say things like that and then pretend to be the responsible one.” Yeji lifted her coffee “I am still the responsible one.” Ryujin nodded solemnly. “With princess demands.”

Yeji immediately lifted her chin “I’m Ben’s girlfriend. I deserve princess demands.” The kitchen froze for half a second. Then Yuna pointed at Yeji “Wait. If you’re the princess, does that make the rest of us consorts?” Ryujin nodded thoughtfully. “I’m fine with that.” Lia looked suspicious already “Ryujin.”

“As long as I get a royal pounding.” The silence that followed was catastrophic. Lia nearly choked on her tea. Yuna doubled over laughing. I closed my eyes “Absolutely not.” Yeji, unfortunately, was no longer interested in being the responsible one. She pointed at Ryujin “You cannot put that in the royal charter.”

“Why not?” Ryujin asked. “I’m negotiating benefits.” Yuna was still laughing “Consort Ryujin has demands too.”

“Princess demands,” Ryujin corrected.
Yeji nodded “Fair.”
“Yeji,” Lia said in disbelief.

“What?” Yeji's cheeks were pink, but she was smiling now. “If we're apparently building a monarchy, we should establish standards.” I stared at her “Babe, you are encouraging this.”

“I am participating,” Yeji corrected.
“That is worse.”

Ryujin slapped the counter “The princess has spoken.” Yuna pointed at me “Manager-nim, your performance review is getting complicated.”

“My performance review is no longer open for discussion.”
“That sounds like someone avoiding accountability,” Lia said.
“I am being attacked by statistics.”
Ryujin raised her spoon “Three is a statistic.”
“Ryujin.”
“Technically,” Lia said, “she is correct.”
I looked at her “You were supposed to be merciful one here.”
“I was,” Lia replied. “Then Yuna said three.”
Yuna shrugged, still smiling “It was memorable.”

Yeji’s eyes flicked toward me again. I caught it. The embarrassment was still there, but underneath it was amusement. Affection. And maybe, unfortunately for me, curiosity. I leaned closer to her, lowering my voice “Babe, you are enjoying this too much.” Yeji looked at me over the rim of her cup. “Be a good boy and survive breakfast.”

Then, before I could answer, she set her coffee down. The movement was so casual that nobody reacted at first. Not until Yeji leaned over and kissed me. Not a quick peck. Not an accidental brush. An actual kiss. Warm. Certain. Comfortable.

The kitchen froze. Again. When she pulled back, her face was already turning red. But she still looked directly at me “I love you”. For one second, my brain completely stopped functioning. Then I smiled. Leaning forward, I kissed her back “Love you too, Babe.”

The silence somehow became even louder. Ryujin looked physically wounded. Lia's eyes had widened so much she nearly dropped her tea. Yuna stared between us with open disbelief. Yeji immediately grabbed her coffee again like she could hide behind it. It did not work.

Ryujin pointed at us with both hands “No.”
Lia nodded “No.”
Yuna nodded too “Absolutely not.”
Yeji blinked “What?”
“You don't get to do that,” Ryujin said.
“Do what?”
“Be disgustingly cute immediately after discussing Ben's statistical achievements.”
“Statistical achievements?” I repeated.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“I wish I didn't.”
Yuna looked at Yeji “Wait.”
Yeji immediately looked suspicious “What?”
“That was your first public kiss.”

The realization hit the room all at once. Lia lowered her cup “Oh.” Ryujin's jaw dropped “Oh my God”. Yeji froze. Then slowly turned toward me. Then toward everyone else. Then back toward me. Her face became the exact color of a fire alarm “Oh”. Yuna immediately started laughing “You didn't even realize.”

“I did realize.”
“You absolutely didn't.”
“I did.”
“You kissed him and forgot we existed.”
Yeji covered her face “I hate all of you.”
“No you don't,” Lia said gently.
“No,” Ryujin agreed. “She loves us. Unfortunately.”
Yuna pointed at me “And she definitely loves him.”

Yeji made a small embarrassed noise, I smiled into my coffee. Ryujin immediately caught it. “Oh, look at him.”
“Don't.”
“He's so happy.”
“I am drinking coffee.”
“You're glowing.”
“I am not glowing.”
“You're glowing.”
Lia looked at me “You are a little.”
“Traitor”

Yuna leaned against my shoulder again “Honestly, this is kind of adorable.” Yeji groaned “Please stop helping.” Ryujin pointed between us “No, no. We need to discuss the real issue.”
“There is no real issue.”
“There is.”
She pointed directly at Yeji “The leash.”
Yeji nearly choked on her coffee.
“Ryujin.”
“The leash remains active.” Lia nodded thoughtfully.
“The evidence is compelling.” Yuna raised a hand.
“I would like to submit today's kiss as Exhibit A.”
“I hate this kitchen.”
Ryujin looked at me “Ben.”
“No.”
“Ben.”
“No.”
“Does she have you on a leash?”

I looked at Yeji. Yeji looked back at me. Still red. Still embarrassed. Still somehow trying to look authoritative. I sighed “Maybe.”

The room exploded.
“I KNEW IT,” Ryujin shouted.
“Ben,” Lia said, laughing now.
Yuna looked delighted.
Yeji stared at me “Maybe?”
I pointed at her “You literally just told me to be a good boy.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“It felt pretty similar.”
Ryujin slapped the counter “He admits it.”
“I admitted nothing.”
“You said maybe.”
“I said maybe.”
“That's an admission.”
Yeji shook her head “You're impossible.”
I looked at her “You're the one everyone thinks has me on a leash.”
Ryujin immediately pointed at Yeji “Because she does.”
Yuna nodded “She absolutely does.”
Lia smiled into her tea “I don't think Ben is fighting very hard.”

I looked around the room Then shrugged “Maybe because I don't mind.” The screaming started again. Ryujin nearly fell off her stool. Yuna kept laughing over. Lia covered her face. Yeji looked like she wanted the floor to open beneath her.
I lifted my coffee. “What?”
“You don't mind?” Ryujin repeated.
I considered it then nodded “Honestly?”
“OH MY GOD.”
“Honestly,” I continued, “I might actually like it.”

Yeji made a sound that could only be described as a system failure. Ryujin was crying. Actually crying. Yuna was no longer capable of standing upright. Lia had abandoned all attempts at dignity. I pointed at Ryujin “And for the record, I was serious earlier.”

Ryujin froze “Oh no.”
I nodded “If treats are involved, I might bark.”

The kitchen detonated. Yeji buried her face in both hands. Yuna collapsed against the counter. Lia laughed so hard she had to put her tea down. Ryujin looked like she had achieved enlightenment “I've never seen a man surrender this completely.” I raised my coffee “Love is about trust.”

“THAT IS NOT WHAT THAT MEANS” Yeji finally looked up from behind her hands. Her face was still bright red. But she was smiling. And despite all the teasing, all the embarrassment, and all the chaos around us— she looked happy. Which, unfortunately for my dignity, probably proved everyone's point. She does have me on a leash.

Ryujin dropped her spoon into the cereal box “There it is again.” Lia nodded once “The leash is active.” Yeji’s face went completely red. I stared down into my coffee “I am moving countries.” Yuna leaned against my shoulder again, laughing softly now “You’d miss us.”

“That is the problem.” For a few seconds, the room stayed suspended between horror, laughter, and the kind of warmth that only existed because everyone had somehow survived the truth without breaking. Then Yuna looked back at Lia. “So yes,” she said, finally answering the original question with an almost angelic smile. “I’m alright.” Then, after a beat, her smile returned in full. “Actually, I’m more than alright.” Ryujin made a delighted sound “There she is.”

Lia looked relieved despite herself. Yeji watched Yuna for a long moment, then nodded “Good”. Yuna smiled at her “Unnie, you look like you want to scold me and hug me at the same time.”

“I do.”
“That’s fair.”
Ryujin leaned forward “So since you’re alright—”
“No,” I said.
Yuna tilted her head “No to what?”
“To whatever is about to happen.”
Ryujin pointed at me “He’s scared.”
Yuna rested her chin lightly on one hand “Do you want to know what surprised me most?”
“No,” I said immediately.
Ryujin said, “Yes.”
Lia said, “Carefully.”
Yeji said nothing, which somehow meant all three answers at once.
Yuna’s smile sharpened “He finally admitted I’m hot.”
Ryujin slapped the counter “I knew that mattered.”
“It did,” Yuna said proudly.
I looked at her “That was not the most important part of the conversation.”
“It was one of the important parts.”
“It was emotional support.”
“It was practical support,” Yuna corrected.

Lia smiled into her tea “Very Yuna”. Yuna looked at me, eyes bright “He said only an idiot would spend that much time near ITZY’s maknae and not want her”. Ryujin slowly turned toward me. Yeji’s eyes widened. Lia blinked. I stared at Yuna “That was private dialogue.” Yuna smiled “It wasn’t a sex detail.” Ryujin leaned forward like she had received divine prophecy “Dialogue counts.”

“No, it does not.”
“It absolutely does,” Ryujin said. “Tone. Context. Setting. Very important.” Yuna tilted her head, pretending to think. “Then I probably shouldn’t mention the part where he said—”

“Yuna.” She grinned. “Fine. I’ll save that for later.” Lia muttered, “There is going to be a later.” Ryujin looked spiritually moved. “This is the best breakfast of my life.” Yeji finally looked at Yuna properly again “You’re really okay?”

The room quieted. Yuna looked back at her. This time, she did not joke immediately. “Yeah,” she said. “I am.” Then, softer “More than okay.” Lia’s face gentled. Ryujin’s teasing softened around the edges. Yeji just smiled.

For exactly two seconds, the room stayed warm. Then Yuna decided sincerity had been allowed to exist long enough. “Although,” she added, turning toward Ryujin, “you were not exaggerating.” Ryujin’s entire face lit up. I stood. “No.” Lia covered her mouth. Yeji’s eyes widened. Yuna smiled at me like she had found the exact lever marked catastrophe “I’m just saying, for a first time, it was a little unfair.” Ryujin pointed at me “I knew it.”

“You know nothing.”
“I know enough.”
“Ryujin.”
“What? I said nothing specific.”

Yuna leaned toward Lia with the solemnity of someone giving a medical report “Let’s just say I understand why he walks around acting like restraint is a public service.” Lia made a sound that was half choke, half laugh. Yeji covered her face. I stared at the ceiling. “Outstanding. Wonderful. Fantastic breakfast.” Ryujin looked like she was about to ascend. “Yuna, I have never been prouder of you.” Yuna smiled. “Thank you.”

“That was not praise,” Yeji said weakly.
“It sounded like praise,” Yuna replied.
“That is because Ryujin is broken.”
Ryujin pointed her spoon at me “Question.”
“No.”
“If Yuna survived the careful version, does that mean—”
“No.”
“—she gets promoted?”
“Absolutely not.”
Yuna’s eyes sharpened “Promoted?”
I looked at Ryujin with betrayal.
Ryujin smiled “I said what I said.”
Yuna turned toward me.
“There are levels?”
Lia whispered, “Oh God no.”

Yeji lowered her hands from her face with the expression of a woman realizing the room had escaped her leadership authority.

“There are not levels,” I said.
Ryujin nodded “There are absolutely levels.”
Yuna’s smile widened “Interesting.”
“That word has become a threat,” I said.

Yuna leaned closer, still smiling, but her voice dipped softly enough that only I caught the warmth beneath it “You like threats.”

“Not before coffee.”
“You like me before coffee.”

The kitchen froze. Ryujin’s spoon stopped midair. Lia looked down into her tea. Yeji looked between us. I looked at Yuna. For once, she did not hide behind the joke. The line had been playful. But the feeling underneath it was not. “Yes,” I said quietly. “I do.”  Yuna’s smile softened. Just for a second. Then Ryujin ruined the moment, naturally.

“Emotionally devastating breakfast.”
Lia nodded “With cereal.”
Yeji exhaled slowly “We need rules.”
Ryujin perked up “Sex rules?”
“Room rules,” Yeji corrected immediately.
“Coward.”
“Leader.”
“Same thing sometimes.”

Yuna laughed softly at that, leaning her cheek against her hand as she looked around the island. For once, she did not look like she was trying to win the room, she looked like she was in it. Really in it. Not watching from the outside. Not poking at glass. Not trying to prove she belonged in a conversation everyone else already understood. Just sitting there, shoulder near mine, surrounded by the women who had seen too much, asked too much, laughed too hard, and still looked at her like she had not broken anything by wanting me too.

That seemed to hit her a second later. Her smile softened. Yeji noticed. Of course she did. Lia noticed too, because Lia always noticed quiet shifts before anyone else knew they had happened. Ryujin noticed and, somehow, made the rare heroic choice not to immediately weaponize it. Yuna looked down at her sleeve for half a second. Then she smiled again, smaller this time.

“This feels weird,” she said.
Ryujin tilted her head “What does?”
Yuna shrugged, trying to make it sound casual “Not being left out.”

The kitchen went quiet. Not painfully. Not dramatically. Just carefully. Like everyone heard the line and instinctively knew not to step on it too quickly. Yeji’s expression softened first. Lia’s fingers stilled around her tea. Ryujin’s spoon lowered by half an inch. I looked at Yuna. She looked back at me. For once, there was no challenge in it. Just honesty, standing there without armor. Then, because she was still Yuna and apparently allergic to sincerity lasting longer than two seconds, she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t make that face. I’m not being sad.”
“You were being honest,” Lia said gently.
Yuna grimaced “That’s worse.”
Ryujin nodded solemnly “Honestly devastating breakfast.”
“With cereal,” Lia added automatically.
Yuna laughed at that, and the sound loosened the room again.

She leaned back slightly, eyes moving from Yeji to Ryujin to Lia, then finally toward the hallway “Anyway,” she said, almost too casually, “Chaeryeong is really missing out.” The silence that followed was instant. Yeji turned toward her. “What?” Yuna blinked. Then the realization hit her “Oh.” Lia set her tea down very slowly. Ryujin leaned forward. I stopped breathing. Yuna looked between all of them, her smile turning a little apologetic and a little amused at the same time.

“You didn’t know she knew.”
Yeji’s voice came carefully “Chaeryeong knew?”
Yuna pressed her lips together, then lifted one shoulder “Unnie, respectfully…”
She glanced around the room “You were not subtle.”
Ryujin stared “None of us?”
“No.”
Lia closed her eyes “Of course.”

Yuna pointed lightly toward Yeji “You and Ben were obvious in the way people are obvious when they think being quiet makes them invisible.” Yeji’s cheeks warmed.

Yuna pointed toward Ryujin next “You were obvious because you are physically incapable of not looking proud after causing problems.” Ryujin opened her mouth. Closed it. Then nodded “Fair.”

Yuna looked at me “And Ben was obvious because every time someone said my name, he started acting like he was managing a live explosive.” I stared at her “That is inaccurate.”

Lia looked at me “It is not.”
Yeji took a sip of coffee “It really is not.”
Ryujin grinned “Live explosive Yuna is a good nickname.”
Yuna smiled sweetly “I accept.”
I rubbed my forehead “Outstanding.”

Yeji set her cup down carefully “How much did Chaeryeong know?” Yuna looked back at her “Enough.”

“That is not an answer.”
“It is the safest answer.”

Ryujin pointed between herself and Yuna “You and Chaeryeong talked?”

“Yes.”
“About Ben?”
“Yes.”
“About us?”

Yuna hesitated. That was answer enough. Ryujin’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.” Yuna lifted both hands “Not everything.” Lia’s brows rose “Define not everything.” Yuna looked at me. Then at Yeji. Then at Ryujin. Then back at Lia “Well…”

I immediately stood “Nope.”
Lia looked at me “Sit down.”
“I suddenly remembered work.”
“No, you didn’t,” Yeji said.

I looked at her. She looked back. Softly. Dangerously calm.

“Be a good boy.”
The room went silent again. I sat back down.
Ryujin whispered, “Leash.”
Lia nodded once “Still active.”

Yeji’s face went pink. Yuna laughed, bright and fully awake now. I stared into my coffee and accepted defeat. Ryujin leaned forward, eyes sparkling.
“So Chaeryeong knew about Yeji.” Yuna nodded.
“And me?”
“She had suspicions.”
Ryujin looked offended “Suspicions?”
Yuna gave her a look “Unnie, you came back from certain rooms looking like you had personally won a war.”
Ryujin smiled “Okay, that one is correct, and also fair.”
Yeji covered her face again.
Lia looked toward the hallway, thoughtful now “And she knew about you?”

Yuna’s expression shifted. Not embarrassed. Not exactly. More like remembering “She knew I wanted to stop being outside it.” That quieted the room again. Yuna looked down at her sleeve, then continued before anyone could interrupt “She didn’t push me. She didn’t tell me to do anything. She just… knew. She said I was only pretending it was about making Ben lose control.”

I looked at her. Yuna glanced at me “She was right.” The words landed softly. Not as a confession. As a conclusion. Yeji watched her carefully. “And you didn’t tell us?” Yuna’s smile turned faintly sheepish

“You were all very busy pretending you were being subtle,” and Yuna continued
“Besides it’s not like I could have walked up to Ben and ask him to take away my virginity that casually.”
“Might have worked for Ryujin unnie—”
“The hell does that even mean?” Ryujin felt betrayed, “Why am I catching strays?”
“— but that would have still been too much of a high risk gamble, if I were to say”.

Ryujin snorted. Lia sighed. Yeji closed her eyes for a second. Yuna leaned back in her chair, looking far too pleased for someone who had just detonated the entire morning.

“Relax,” she said sweetly. “Chaeryeong kept your secrets better than you did.”

That landed harder than the joke around it. The room went quiet. Because suddenly, breakfast was no longer only about Yuna and me. It was about the quietest person on the Top Floor knowing more than everyone realized. The person who had watched, listen, and understood. And said nothing because maybe, in her own way, Chaeryeong had been waiting for someone else to stop being left out first. Ryujin slowly smiled.

“Well,” she said, picking up her cereal again. “This just got interesting.”
“Ryujin” I looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That sounded suspiciously meta.”
“It was spiritually accurate.”

Yuna laughed, Yeji sighed, Lia reached for her tea, and I sat there, already exhausted, as the Top Floor shifted again around a truth none of us had bothered to notice until Yuna said it out loud. Chaeryeong knew.

The realization sat in the middle of the kitchen like an extra person at the table. For once, Ryujin did not immediately attack it. Yuna’s smile had softened into something smaller, almost careful now that the damage had been done. Lia stared into her tea like the answer to everyone’s collective lack of subtlety might be floating somewhere near the surface. Yeji only exhaled, like a leader realizing the meeting she had been avoiding had already started without her permission. I rubbed both hands over my face.

“Outstanding,” I muttered.
Ryujin looked at me “What?”
“I am starting to miss when the biggest problem on this floor was you threatening aegyo mutiny.”
“That problem still exists.”
“Wonderful.”

Before anyone could make it worse, a quiet sound came from the hallway. Not dramatic. Not theatrical. Just the soft shuffle of slippers against the floor. Everyone turned. Chaeryeong stood at the edge of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. Toast. Fruit. A small bowl of eggs. Because apparently, while the rest of us were busy detonating the emotional foundation of the Top Floor, Chaeryeong had been making breakfast. She stopped when she noticed all of us looking at her. Then her gaze moved to Yuna.

Yuna smiled awkwardly. Chaeryeong blinked once. Then sighed. “You told them? Yuna lifted one shoulder “Accidentally.” Ryujin pointed her spoon at her “That was not an accident. That was a controlled demolition.”

“It was emotional honesty.”
“It was demolition with feelings.”

Chaeryeong looked between them, then set the tray carefully on the kitchen island. Far too calmly. That worried me more than if she had panicked. Yeji stood first “Chaeryeong.” Her voice had switched gears into leader mode.

Chaeryeong looked at her. Yeji hesitated for half a second, then continued “I’m sorry.” That made Chaeryeong’s expression shift. Not much but enough “For what?”

“For making you carry it alone,” Yeji said.

The room went quiet. That was the right sentence. Everyone felt it. Even Yuna, especially Yuna. Chaeryeong lowered her eyes briefly, her fingers brushing against the edge of the tray “I wasn’t carrying anything.”

“Chaer,” Yeji said softly. Chaeryeong looked up again. Yeji did not push. She only waited. That was probably why Chaeryeong answered. “I knew enough,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but steady. “I didn’t know everything. I didn’t want to know everything. But I knew enough to understand that something was happening, and everyone was trying very hard to pretend it was not obvious.”

Ryujin slowly lowered her cereal box. Lia looked down. Yuna bit her lower lip. I said nothing. Because there was nothing useful I could say yet. Chaeryeong looked toward Yeji first. “You and Ben were obvious in the quiet way.” Yeji’s cheeks warmed slightly. Then Chaeryeong looked at Ryujin “You were obvious in the loud way.” Ryujin opened her mouth. Chaeryeong added, “It was louder when tried to be silent.” Ryujin closed her mouth. Yuna made a tiny sound that might have been a laugh. Chaeryeong looked at her next “And Yuna…” Yuna straightened. Chaeryeong’s expression softened. “You were obvious because you stopped teasing like it was a game.” Yuna did not answer immediately.

For once. That alone told me how hard the sentence had landed. Then Chaeryeong finally looked at me “And you were obvious because every time something changed, you tried to manage it like a schedule conflict.” Lia made a sound into her tea. Ryujin pointed at me “That is painfully accurate.” I looked at Chaeryeong “I feel attacked.”

“You should,” Lia said calmly.
“Traitor.”
“You earned it.”

Chaeryeong’s mouth twitched. Almost a smile. Yeji pulled out the stool beside her “Sit with us.” Chaeryeong glanced at the stool. Then at the tray. Then back at everyone “I was just bringing food.”

“Sit,” Yeji said again, softer this time. Not a command. An invitation. Chaeryeong hesitated at first then sat and somehow, that felt bigger than it should have. The kitchen settled around her. Not comfortably. Yuna leaned forward slightly. “I’m sorry too.” Chaeryeong blinked at her. Yuna looked down at her sleeve. “I didn’t mean to throw you into it like that.”

“I know.”

“No, I mean…” Yuna exhaled. “You knew I wanted in before I even said it properly. And I still let everyone find out you knew by accident.” Chaeryeong studied her. Then nodded once “I wasn’t mad.” Yuna looked up. Chaeryeong’s voice softened “I was worried.” That shut Yuna up completely. Ryujin’s eyebrows lifted. Lia’s gaze moved between them. Yeji watched quietly. Chaeryeong continued “You were acting like you were only trying to provoke him. But you weren’t.” Yuna looked away “Yeah.”

“You wanted him to see you.” Yuna’s fingers curled against her sleeve “And last night?” Chaeryeong asked. Yuna looked back at her “He did,” Yuna said softly. Chaeryeong’s expression gentled “Good.” That one word did more than half the morning’s chaos had. It settled something. Not everything.

Ryujin, naturally, began to raise her spoon. Yeji looked at her “No.” Ryujin froze “I didn’t even say anything.”

“You were about to ruin the moment.”
“I was going to support it.”
“With what?”

Ryujin paused then lowered the spoon “Actually, never mind.”
Lia nodded “Growth.”
Ryujin pointed at her “Do not document that.”
“I already did.”

I exhaled slowly and leaned back against the counter. For the first time that morning, the room felt less like it was chasing a crisis and more like it had finally caught up to itself.

Then Lia set her tea down. “So what are we actually doing?” Everyone looked at her. Lia’s expression stayed calm. But her question had weight, a real question. Yeji’s posture shifted. Leader again. Yuna stopped playing with her sleeve. Ryujin went still, which was rare enough to concern me. Chaeryeong looked down at the island. I knew what Lia meant. We all did.

This was no longer about who knew what, or who crossed which line, or who had been pretending not to notice. This was about what happened next. Lia’s gaze moved to me “You can’t keep handling this like isolated incidents.” That one landed. I looked at her and she did not soften it “Yeji. Ryujin. Yuna. Chaeryeong knowing. Me knowing more than I say. The Top Floor. Waterbomb. JYP. John. Jihyo.” Her voice remained even “That is not a list of separate problems anymore.”

The room quieted again. I hated how right she was. Ryujin leaned back “So what is it?” Lia looked around the table “A system,” she said. Nobody spoke. “It’s becoming a system whether we admit it or not.” Yuna’s expression sharpened. Yeji’s eyes lowered to her cup. Chaeryeong held very still. I looked at Lia “And you think we need rules.”

“No,” Lia said. That surprised me. She glanced toward Yeji.
“Rules make it sound like we can control everything if we write it neatly enough.”
Yeji gave a faint smile “True.”
Lia looked back at me “I think we need honesty before we need rules.”

That was worse. Because it was correct. Ryujin groaned softly.

“I hate when Lia says something mature. It makes me feel underdressed emotionally.”
“You are eating cereal from a box,” I said.
“Exactly. I’m not prepared for emotional governance.”

Yuna leaned her chin on her hand “So we admit things?” Yeji nodded slowly “I think we have to”. The room shifted enough that everyone knew the jokes had stepped aside. Yeji looked at me first. Not asking permission. Asking partnership. I nodded once. She took a breath.

“Then I’ll start.” Every eye moved to her. Yeji’s cheeks were still a little pink from earlier, but her voice was steady “Ben and I are together.” The sentence hit differently when said plainly. Not joked around or implied. Not protected by chaos— Together.

Yuna’s expression softened. Ryujin, for once, did not make a sound. Lia watched Yeji with something warm in her eyes. Chaeryeong looked down briefly, then back up. Yeji continued. “I don’t know exactly what that means for everyone else yet. But I know what he is to me.” Her hand moved under the counter. Finding mine. I felt it before anyone saw it.

“I love him,” she said quietly. “And I’m not going to pretend I don’t just because the situation is complicated.” The kitchen went still. My throat tightened. Yeji looked at me. Then, with terrible timing and perfect cruelty, Ryujin whispered “Emotionally devastating breakfast, part two.”

Lia closed her eyes. Yuna made a tiny laugh. Chaeryeong’s mouth twitched again. Yeji sighed “Ryujin.”

“What? I waited.”
“You did,” Lia admitted. “That was restraint.”
Ryujin nodded proudly “I am maturing.”
“No,” Yuna said.
“Fair.”

The tension cracked just enough to breathe. Then Ryujin leaned forward “My turn?” Yeji looked wary “Carefully”. Ryujin grinned “Ben and I have a dynamic”. Lia stared into her tea “That is one word for it.”

“It is the safest word.”
Yuna nodded “Very restrained.”
“Thank you.”

I looked at Ryujin. She looked back at me. Her grin softened by a fraction “And despite my reputation, I know what Yeji is to him.” That surprised me. Ryujin did not look away “I’m not trying to take that”. The room quieted. Yeji’s expression shifted. Ryujin shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable with her own sincerity “I like what I have with him. I want more of it. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” Lia murmured.

“But I’m not confused,” Ryujin continued.
“I know the difference between wanting him and wanting to be her.”

Yuna’s eyes flicked to Yeji. Then to Ben. Then down. That one mattered to her too. Yeji looked at Ryujin for a long moment then nodded “Thank you.” Ryujin immediately leaned back “Great. I was emotionally mature for eleven seconds. Someone praise me.”

“No,” Lia said.
“Cruel.”

Yuna lifted her hand slightly “My turn?” The room looked at her. Yuna’s confidence did not vanish. But it changed shape “I don’t want to be outside anymore.” Her voice stayed steady “I don’t want to compete with Yeji unnie. I don’t want to pretend I only teased Ben because it was funny. And I don’t want everyone treating me like I tripped into this.” She glanced at me “I chose it”. Then at Yeji “And I know what I’m choosing around.”

Yeji’s gaze softened. Yuna swallowed once. “I’m okay with not being first.” The sentence landed quietly. Harder than expected “But I don’t want to feel like I’m hidden because I came later.” Nobody spoke. I felt that one in my chest. Because I knew exactly where it came from. Yeji reached across the island. Yuna looked at her hand and then took it “You’re not hidden,” Yeji said. Yuna’s smile shook for half a second. Then recovered “Good.”

Ryujin sniffed dramatically “That was almost wholesome.”
“It was wholesome,” Lia said.
“I know. I’m uncomfortable.”

Chaeryeong looked at them, then finally spoke “I don’t know where I stand yet.” Everyone turned to her. She looked uncomfortable with the attention, but she continued anyway. “I know things. I understand more than I probably should. But knowing is different from being ready.” That sentence held the entire room in place. Yeji nodded “You don’t have to be ready.” Chaeryeong looked relieved. Just a little.

My chest loosened. That had been the fear that this conversation would turn into momentum. That Chaeryeong would feel dragged forward just because everyone else had finally stopped hiding. Lia looked at her gently.

“You’re allowed to just know”
Chaeryeong nodded “Thank you.”
Ryujin leaned back, softer now.
“So Chaeryeong and Lia gets the observer status.”
Yuna brightened “With premium access.”
I looked at her “No.”
“What?”
“No premium access.”
Yuna smiled “Worth a try.”

Chaeryeong laughed. Quiet. Small. But real. That laugh did more for the room than any official rule could have. Then Lia spoke again “I’m not ready either.” The room shifted, this time toward her. Lia held her tea with both hands. Her gaze did not go to me immediately. It stayed on the cup “I care about Ben,” she said softly my breath slowed “I think everyone knows that by now.”

Yuna nodded carefully. Ryujin did not joke. Yeji watched Lia with quiet understanding. Lia’s fingers tightened around the cup “But I am still figuring out what kind of courage that requires from me.” That was Lia, a careful admission placed gently in the center of the table. Not denial nor was it surrender.

I wanted to say something. I did not. Not yet. This was hers. Yeji spoke for the room “That’s okay” Lia looked up. Yeji smiled faintly. “We’re not asking you to rush.” Lia’s shoulders eased “Thank you.” Ryujin looked around slowly “So, to summarize…”

“Absolutely not.” Lia said immediately.

Ryujin ignored her “Yeji is emotionally married. I am chaos with benefits. Yuna is newly promoted from live explosive to acknowledged live explosive. Chaeryeong has premium observer status. Lia is slow-burn royalty. Ben is overworked, underpaid, and apparently enjoys being leashed.”

The silence lasted one second. Then Yuna burst out laughing. Chaeryeong covered her mouth. Lia sighed like she hated that the summary was almost useful. Yeji turned bright red. I stared at Ryujin “I regret everything.”

“No you don’t.”
“I regret enough.”

Yeji squeezed my hand under the counter. Softly. A reminder. A warning. A comfort— all three, probably. The laughter faded slowly. And when it did, the room felt different… less dishonest. That was probably the best we could ask for.

Then Lia looked around the Top Floor. Her gaze moved from the kitchen to the lounge, to the hallway, to the windows overlooking the city “This place helps,” she said. Everyone followed her gaze “But it’s still attached to everything.” Yeji’s expression shifted “What do you mean?” Lia exhaled softly.

“The company still exists. We are still idols—”
“Dysfunctional Idols” Ryujin corrected.
“—Schedules are still on the phones. Staff can still call. Security can still report. We can rest here, but we’re not away.”

That landed. Because after Waterbomb, after JYP, after everything, she was right. The Top Floor had become a sanctuary, but also a pressure cooker. A beautifully expensive one, still a pressure cooker.

Yuna leaned back “So what? We run away?”
Ryujin smiled “I vote yes to running away and having a fantasy harem.”
Chaeryeong blinked “You always vote yes to running away.”
“I am consistent.” Ryujin pointed out.

Yeji looked at me. That was the problem. Everyone eventually looked at me. I stared into my coffee “No.” Ryujin frowned “What do you mean no? Who doesn’t want a personal harem?”

“I mean no, do not look at me like that.”
Yuna tilted her head “Like what?”
“Like I am supposed to solve this.”
Lia’s eyebrow lifted “You usually do.”
“That is not helping.”
Yeji squeezed my hand again “Ben.”

I looked at her. She was not teasing now. Neither was Lia. Neither was Chaeryeong. Even Yuna had gone quiet. Ryujin was watching me too, surprisingly serious. Yeji’s voice softened “Maybe this time you don’t solve it alone.”

That sat in my chest. Uncomfortably… I looked around the kitchen, at Yeji… Ryujin… Lia… Yuna… Chaeryeong. All of them tired in different ways. All of them pretending better than most people would ever notice. But I noticed and that was the whole problem. I noticed too much to ignore it. And not enough to fix it from inside the same walls. I exhaled slowly “We need out.”

Ryujin’s eyes lit up “Yes.”
I pointed at her “No, not like that. No harems.”
Her eyes dimmed “Cruel.”

I continued.

“Not away from each other. Away from the pressure.”
Lia looked at me carefully “A break?”
“A real one,” I said.
“No company building. No staff wandering nearby. No fans. No cameras. No pretending this floor is enough because it is expensive.”

Yuna’s expression changed first. Hope. Fast and bright before she could hide it. Chaeryeong looked uncertain. Yeji looked worried. Lia looked thoughtful. Ryujin looked like she was already packing mentally. I lifted one hand “I’m not saying we just disappear.”

“That is exactly what a rich person says before disappearing,” Lia said.
“She’s right,” Yuna added.

I ignored them.

“It would need cover. Proper cover. Something JYP can approve publicly. Something that doesn’t look like me kidnapping ITZY into a private resort.”

Ryujin tilted her head “Are you kidnapping us into a private resort?”
“No. Kidnapping would imply unwilling to go… and Ryujin is clearly willing to go.”
“Would snacks be provided?”
“Yes.”
“I consent.”
“Ryujin.”
“What? I’m helping.”
Chaeryeong’s voice came softer “A vacation?”
“Recovery leave,” I corrected.
Yuna smiled “That sounds like vacation said by someone afraid of HR.”
“It is vacation with paperwork.”
Yeji’s eyes narrowed slightly “Paperwork?”
I paused. A cold feeling went through me “No.”
Lia blinked “No what?”
“I just said paperwork.”
Ryujin stared “And?”
“And somewhere in Seoul, Park Jihyo probably felt a disturbance.”

Yeji covered her mouth. Yuna started laughing. Lia sighed “That is oddly believable.” I stood “I’m calling John.” Ryujin pointed at me “See? He is solving it.”

“I am delegating.”
“That is just solving it with extra steps.”

I walked toward the lounge before anyone could stop me. Unfortunately, everyone followed. Of course they did. I pulled out my phone and called John. He answered on the fourth ring. Which was suspicious “Why the fuck are you calling me this early?” John asked.

“No greeting? That’s no way to talk to your best buddy”
“You only call early when rich-person nonsense is about to happen.”

I looked at the phone. Then at the five women now gathered around me like a live studio audience.

“I need advice.” John went silent, then “Oh God.”
“Relax. No one is pregnant or dying.”
“No, that’s my shtick. When you sound like this, someone’s net worth gets involved.”
Ryujin whispered, “He knows you well.”
I ignored her “I need Jihyo on the phone.”

John went even more silent. Then his voice dropped “What did you do?”
“I did not do anything.” All five of the girls looked at me, I sighed.
“Recently.”
John groaned “Ben.”
“It’s about ITZY.”

That changed the air on the call. John’s voice sharpened “Are they okay?” I glanced back at them. Yeji’s face softened. Yuna looked down. Ryujin’s mouth tightened. Lia watched me carefully. Chaeryeong held herself still. “They’re functioning,” I said. John understood immediately. “That’s not what I asked.”

“No,” I said quietly. “It isn’t” the room went silent. John did not speak for a moment. Then his voice softened “I’ll get Jihyo.” There was muffled movement on the other end. A door opening. John saying something too quietly for us to catch. Then another voice entered the call. Calm. Alert. Dangerous “Ben?”

It was Jihyo.

I closed my eyes. Of course her voice alone made this feel like a meeting. “Sorry for calling suddenly.”

“No, you’re not.”

I opened my eyes. Ryujin mouthed, accurate. I waved her off. Jihyo continued “What happened?” I looked toward Yeji, then the others, then back out the window “Waterbomb happened,” I said. “Then everything after it happened. And now the Top Floor is starting to feel less like recovery and more like containment.”

Nobody spoke. Not in the room. Not on the phone. Jihyo understood too quickly. That was the problem with her, she always did “You want to take them somewhere.”

“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A week, at least.”

John coughed. Jihyo went silent. Ryujin’s eyes widened with delight. Yuna whispered, “A week?” Chaeryeong looked startled “At least?” Lia looked like she was already calculating the consequences. Yeji only watched me. Jihyo finally spoke “A week is not a break, Ben. A week is a scheduling incident.”

“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”

John muttered something in the background. It sounded like, “Here we go.” Jihyo ignored him “What exactly are you proposing?”

“A private recovery leave,” I said. “No cameras. No public resort. Controlled location. Full privacy. Medical access nearby. Security handled. Schedule disruption compensated. Staff covered. Company inconvenience handled.” Jihyo was quiet. Then she said “You have already calculated this.”

“Yes.” John sighed loudly “Of course he has!” Jihyo’s voice sharpened “And you are calling me because you know JYP will not approve this if it only comes from you.”

“Yes.”
“Good. At least you are self-aware.”

Ryujin whispered, “She’s scary.” Yeji whispered back, “Yes.” Jihyo continued “If this happens, it needs cover.”

“I know.”
“It cannot look like manager Sung Benjamin took ITZY away because he decided money solves emotional strain.” I looked down. The room went very still. Jihyo’s voice softened by one degree “I am not saying that is what you are doing.”

“I know.”
“But that is how it can look.”
“I know.”

She exhaled “Then it needs to be something else.” John’s voice came closer to the phone “A senior-junior wellness retreat” Jihyo paused. Then hummed “That could work.” I frowned “What?” John sounded smug now “TWICE and ITZY. Company-approved bonding. Recovery. Mentorship. Privacy. Very wholesome. Very public-friendly.” Ryujin’s mouth dropped open. Yuna’s eyes lit up like someone had handed her fireworks. Lia closed her eyes. Chaeryeong looked terrified and curious at the same time. Yeji slowly turned toward me. I did not like her expression. Jihyo spoke again, thoughtful now.

“If TWICE is involved, JYP has a cleaner reason to approve it.” I stared at the phone “Hold on.” John ignored me “And if Mina helps with location privacy, the rich-people problem becomes less obviously Ben-shaped.”

“Hold on,” I repeated. Jihyo’s tone shifted. Not quite amusement but close to it “Mina would be useful.” That was when I realized the conversation had escaped me. This was no longer my idea. This was a Jihyo operation. Which meant I had lost control approximately thirty seconds ago.

“Jihyo,” I said carefully. “Yes?”
“This was supposed to be advice.”
“And I am advising.”
“No, you are expanding.”
“Good advice expands when the original plan is insufficient.”

John laughed. I glared at the phone. Yuna whispered, “I like her.” Yeji nodded faintly “You would.” Jihyo continued “Also…” Something in her voice changed, a smile I could not see but definitely feel. My spine went cold “Well,” Jihyo said, “I guess this is the perfect time to cash in on your promise.” I froze “What promise?” John sighed through the phone “Oh no.” Jihyo’s smile was audible now “You said TWICE could visit the Top Floor.”

The room went very still. Ryujin slowly turned toward me. Yuna’s eyes lit up in pure, dangerous joy. Lia closed her eyes like she was already exhausted. Chaeryeong looked between all of us, deeply concerned. Yeji stared at me like she was calculating the exact moment I had doomed us. I swallowed “How many of you?” Jihyo laughed “All of us.” John added, “For the record, I tried to stop this.”

“No, you didn’t,” Jihyo said. “No, I didn’t.”

I stared out at the city. The Top Floor suddenly felt much smaller. Behind me, Ryujin whispered, “TWICE is coming here?” Yuna whispered back, “All of TWICE.” Lia murmured, “This is going to be a disaster.” Chaeryeong added “We have to buy a lot of food now.” Yeji only looked at me. Softly. Sympathetically. And I realized, far too late, that I had once again given Park Jihyo access to a door I should have kept locked. Jihyo’s voice came through the speaker again, bright and decisive.

“We’ll be there this afternoon.” The call ended. I lowered the phone slowly. No one spoke. Then Ryujin picked up her cereal box. “So,” she said, “do we clean, or do we prepare emotionally?” Lia looked around the room “Both.” Yuna smiled “I vote we hide embarrassing things.” Yeji looked at me “Ben.” I closed my eyes “Yes?”

“Be a good boy.” The room exploded. And somewhere in the middle of it, I realized this had barely solved anything and it had only opened the door. Literally.