Requested by: soojungtaemin

“You’re such a selfish little brat!”

The sound of a slap resonated in the cold office. The manager glared at the youngest and newest member of Red Velvet. Meanwhile, Yeri only looked down, tears slowly forming in her eyes. Both of them were trembling, the manager because of wrath and Yeri because of fear.

On the other hand, Irene was only watching at the back of the room. She couldn’t interfere. She was only there to stop the commotion if it went too far. She was after all, Red Velvet’s leader, their mother. It was her task to protect them and love them as her own.

The manager went back to his desk and grabbed a tabloid from the top of it. He tossed it and Yeri managed to catch it. She didn’t want to read the headline but she had no choice. It was in bold, black and white, plastered over the center of the newest paper.

YERI FROM RED VELVET AND JUNGKOOK FROM BTS,

SEEN AT THE HAN RIVER HOLDING HANDS

“I know what this means, Yeri. You know it too,” the manager pointed his finger at Yeri angrily. Yeri knew what it meant, very well. She watched her seniors go through this before. She witnessed how SM destroyed dating rumours and punished idols for triggering them. She had no escape. The media knew all about it already and they had proof. Though the picture was anything but clear, it was obvious the people in the picture were Jungkook and Yeri.

“Yeri,” Irene spoke for the first time. “End it.”

Those three words only made Yeri feel worse. She can’t end it with Jungkook. She loved the boy. She didn’t want to let him go just yet. And he loved her too. If she broke up with him, Jungkook might blame himself for everything.

“Your leader’s right, Yeri. End it. You know what it meant to be an SM idol, Yeri. You agreed to the dating ban before debuting,” the manager said before approaching Yeri again. The manager raised his fist and Yeri flinched, closing her eyes tightly and preparing for the next blow. He did punch her, hard, on the cheek, resulting to Yeri’s cheek turning red.

Irene immediately went to her aid when Yeri fell down on the floor. The manager only looked down on them.

“Now that you’ve learned your lesson, go. Go and end it. You’re better off as Red Velvet’s cutesy maknae than being a hiphop idol’s girlfriend. Oh wait, I wouldn’t even call that boy an idol,” the manager said harshly.

Yeri wanted to fight back so bad but at the same time, she knew the risk. She didn’t want to be forced out of the company. She didn’t want to ruin Jungkook’s name. She had to be mature about this. She had to think like an adult and not like the teenage girl she was. Yeri turned her head away and Irene knew what it meant. She escorted the younger out of the office.

“I warned you before, Yeri. I told you to never get caught,” Irene told her as she treated the bruise on her cheek.

“This’ll get covered up by make-up, right?” Yeri asked, changing the subject forcefully.

“Yeri,” Irene sternly said. Yeri looked down before sighing.

“I didn’t mean to get caught. I haven’t seen Jungkook-oppa in a while and I missed him,” Yeri reasoned but she knew in her heart it wasn’t all that reasonable.

“Dating scandals are the only nightmare an SM idol could have, you know that. You know what happened to Chen-sunbae right? And Baekhyun-sunbae, and a whole lot more. WGM’s the only safe haven if we wanted to date,” Irene explained.

“But the people there don’t love each other. Sure, they get married but for what? Publicity? Look at eonni, does she love Sungjae-sunbae?” Yeri questioned.

“We’re idols. We survive because of publicity. We die if we lack it. But dating scandals are not the way to go, Yeri, especially at your age. You’re what? 17?”

“And what if I’m 17? I’m not like other teenagers my age who give up everything for love. Sure, I love my fans and I want their happiness but can’t I have my own happiness too?”

“We’re idols, Yeri. There’s no such thing as true happiness in this business,” Irene shook her head. “We fake smiles and perform on stage as if we have no problems. This is the life we chose. And it’s our choice if we’ll stay in it. So, Yeri, choose one: Jungkook or your career?” Irene looked into the younger’s eyes.

Yeri’s eyes were filled with hurt and regret. She regretted the day she met Jungkook. She regretted the day she fell in love with him. She regretted everything but at the same time, she loved the thrill of it. She loved Jungkook after all. She forgot even for a minute that she was an idol, that she was there to impress and entertain. In front of Jungkook, Yeri was a normal teenage girl who always smiled at him.

Yeri covered her face with her hands and Irene could only hug her tightly and tell her that it was okay to decide whichever she wanted. It was her life after all.

“Eonni… I have a lot of people expecting good things from me. I know what I have with oppa is wrong but…”

“Shh… Yeri, just let it out.”

“I understand.”

Jungkook bowed his head in front of the younger. Yeri’s eyes widened because of his response. He looked so professional, so distant, so different from the Jungkook she fell in love with. She didn’t expect this response from the boy she loved but she guessed Jungkook knew how the idol world worked. He only broke the rules for her.

“Are you going to let me go easily?” Yeri asked, her voice hoarse. The question slipped out of . She didn’t want to ask that because she knew she was going to get hurt by his answer.

“I don’t mean to but I need to, Yeri. We’re idols,” Jungkook looked up, trying to keep in his tears. “You’re an SM idol especially, a rookie. You just debuted months ago, Yeri. I don’t want to destroy your dreams or anything. I don’t want your company to hurt you or throw you away. I want what is best for you and the decision which is best for you right now is to break up with me.”

“I know. We’re both idols. We know the consequences yet we went on with our lives together until we got caught,” Yeri balled up her fists. “And I hate how fate just tears us apart like this. I hate those people who got a shot of us. I hate it. I hate them.”

Jungkook took one step nearer to Yeri and cupped her cheeks. He wiped her tears using his thumb and tried to comfort her.

“Maybe, we are the right people for each other. And maybe, this is not the right time and place. Maybe, in the future, we’ll get to be with each other and when that day comes, I promise you, Yeri, I’ll never let you go again.”

A/N

Lol, I did angst that's not that angst but meh, I hope you like this one cuz ahaha I don't like hurting my maknae babies but I guess I'm at an angsty mood already. 

And my hobby is really highlighting the cruel life of an idol like yolo realism