[CONTENTID1]Seeing Red[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]8[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]People act differently on camera and off camera and the girls of (G)I-DLE were no exception. Whether it was at formal interviews or on V-Live, no matter how authentic an idol may try to be in front of a camera, they always hid parts of themselves—unconsciously, or consciously with helpful reminders from their managers.

However, the important difference between being on camera and off camera was that fans were kept in the dark about how idols’ lived when the cameras didn’t expediently offer them a glimpse. During these occasions, their lives belonged solely to them. They lived for themselves, not to serve as a source of happiness for their fans. They were allowed to be selfish, allowed to be human.

So, in the four walls of the bedroom that they shared, away from the watchful eyes of the public, their kiss was solely for them. While the rest of the world continued on with their daily lives, only they would feel the weight of the kiss and experience the change it would bring. 

“I don’t want you to like him because I like you,” Shuhua said, with no hesitation in her tone. Her voice was firm, sure, and unrelenting. 

Soojin eyes were glued to the blue blanket on top of her mattress that occupied the top bunk. She stared at its messy folds and how they casted strangely-shaped shadows on her unmade bed in the dimly lit room, willing herself to focus on something other than what had just happened. The weight of Shuhua’s head left warmth that spread through the thin fabric of her shirt and onto her shoulder. Soojin’s arms were reaching straight out. Her hands clenched around the wooden frame of their bunk bed for support. I can’t believe I just did that. She felt like she had just been possessed. All the logic previously present in her brain had just been momentarily obsolete and in that split second, her desires—desires that she had tirelessly worked to suppress—took control. 

The silence that followed Shuhua’s words began to chip at the younger girl’s confidence. With each passing second, she grew more insecure. She couldn’t have possibly read the situation wrong. For god’s sake, Soojin initiated the kiss. 

The silence became unbearable. She had to say something, “Unnie? Do you...regret it?” Her voice no longer sounded like it did moments ago. She lifted her head and loosened her grip on the older girl’s waist, tentatively waiting for the girl to respond.

Soojin noticed the warmth dissipate from her shoulder. Snapping out of her stupor, she answered the other girl a bit too quickly, “No!” Embarrassment made itself known on Soojin’s face in the form of flushed cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut. If she closed her eyes she wouldn’t have to witness the inevitably smug face of the Taiwanese girl in front of her. She felt the familiar warmth return as the younger girl wrapped her arms back around her waist in a hug. Shuhua’s face was now resting in the crook of Soojin’s neck, each breath lightly brushed the skin of Soojin’s neck. 

“Good,” Shuhua replied simply. Soojin let go of the wooden bed frame and brought them around the back of Shuhua’s neck to return her hug. Shuhua took a few moments to relish the relief she felt after Soojin’s answer.

Soojin relaxed as the silence continued. It seemed that the younger girl wouldn’t take her flustered state as a chance to . Unfortunately, the peace did not last long as she would soon realize that she had spoken too soon. Shuhua had other plans.

Shuhua wasn’t planning to tease Soojin. She really wasn’t. The two were in unfamiliar territory where nothing was certain. Their relationship was undefined and the future of their relationship was still undecided. So, teasing the older girl didn’t seem like the best way to get them past this stage—at first. Although Shuhua was almost positive the older girl had feelings for her, hearing the older girl say so would make her a hundred percent certain. That's when she had an idea. Why not kill two birds with one stone? 

“I like you, Jin. What do you have to say about that?” Shuhua asked innocently, with a trace of playfulness in her tone. Shuhua was partly teasing, but the other part of her was anticipating for Soojin to give her words that would ensure her that these feelings weren't one-sided. She wanted concrete, undeniable evidence—a simple I like you too.

Recognizing that the younger girl wanted to coax a confession out of her, Soojin became even more flustered than before. “I h-hate you so much right now,” Soojin stumbled upon her words. Admittedly, wanting a confession wasn’t a ridiculous request. On the contrary, it was quite a reasonable one. After all, Soojin had some explaining to do after kissing the younger girl. However, as much as Soojin appreciated honesty from others, she hated being honest with others herself. More often than not, honesty and vulnerability were intertwined and it was a concept of life she has yet grown comfortable with.

“But you can’t live without me, can’t you?” Shuhua replied with a question while wearing a hopeful smile, pushing the older girl closer to revealing her true feelings. 

“Stop being so cocky, Yeh Shuhua,” Soojin retorted after cooling down. Nonetheless, Soojin couldn't stop herself from smiling. She was so glad that the smug Taiwanese girl couldn’t see her face right now.

“Jin-ah,” Shuhua whined, drawing out the last syllable. “I like you. Say it back.” The words collided with the skin on her neck, raising the tiny hairs that resided there. 

Soojin blushed, yet again, at her bluntness. Soojin’s hands began to fidget with the fabric of Shuhua’s shirt out of nervousness. She figured she owed the Taiwanese girl at least this much, even if it made her slightly uncomfortable. “I like you too, dummy. Did you forget that I just kissed you?” Soojin eventually confessed begrudgingly while her heart quickened its pace. 

Shuhua beamed upon hearing her words. She leaned up and gave the older girl a kiss on the cheek out of happiness which rendered the older girl speechless. A smile graced Soojin’s lips once again. 

Shuhua decided to take the initiative once again, “Are we dating now? Can I call you my girlfriend?” Her voice was shamelessly loud as if she was ready to tell the whole world. She really was having fun with this “killing two birds with one stone” thing. Incredibly efficient.

Soojin shyly gave one nod in agreement. “Shu, you’re—”

Shuhua interjected quickly, “Beautiful? A goddess? Your girlfriend now?”

“Very loud,” Soojin deadpanned. “But you can be beautiful sometimes too, I guess,” Soojin added in the most robotic voice she could muster. 

“Aww, Jin-ah, you think I’m beautiful?” Shuhua cooed while getting out of their hug to look at her girlfriend’s face.

Soojin pushed her away playfully, “I’m sleepy.” She climbed up to her bunk without waiting for the younger girl. 

Shuhua grinned at Soojin who was currently making her escape. Soojin began to tuck herself in, wrapping herself in the blue blanket, leaving a space for the other girl to lay in. Noticing that Shuhua was just standing there watching her, she asked, “Aren’t you coming up?” 

Shuhua shrugged mischievously, “Should I?” Her eyes glanced around the room. She pretended as if she was trying to find a more suitable place to sleep, but they both knew that nowhere would beat where Soojin was currently laying. 

Rolling her eyes, Soojin spelled it out for the younger girl, “Get up here, Yeh Shuhua.” 

The two slept on the same bed for what seemed like the millionth time. But this time was different because now, they were girlfriends. 

- - - 

The sunlight signaled the beginning of a new day. Their first full day as a new couple and one day closer to (G)I-DLE’s comeback. Currently, Soojin and Shuhua were at the hair salon. Hui had to listen to a very apologetic Soojin reject his feelings prior to their trip to the salon and Shuhua couldn’t have been happier. It was a few days before their comeback and Soojin wanted to dye her hair. Shuhua had no intention to do the same but tagged along because she found it hard not to want to be around her girlfriend all the time. Soojin surely wasn’t complaining.

Many snacks, one cup of fruit juice, and a nap later, the hairstylists had finished dying Soojin’s hair. Red was Soojin’s color. All the members knew that. Despite that knowledge, Shuhua’s jaw dropped when she saw the older girl walk toward her with her newly dyed, red hair. 

Soojin reached her hand out and jokingly used it to close Shuhua’s mouth. “So I’m assuming you like it?”

“No, you need to go back,” Shuhua said with a pout. 

“Why?” Soojin asked, confused at the girl’s words. Soojin thought it suited her.

Shuhua stood up from her seat and leaned up to Soojin’s ears on the tips of her toes. “Because now everyone is going to try to get you to be their girlfriend,” Shuhua answered with a proud smile on her face. 

Biting back a laugh, Soojin pushed the other girl playfully and rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, Shu.”

Shuhua smiled at the girl in front of her. Shuhua found Soojin to be the cutest after she was complimented. Her smile was genuine. Her cheeks slightly flush with bashfulness. These moments, even when they were just friends, always gave Shuhua a dose of happiness. So, she never failed to shower the other girl with compliments.

She rushed to the figure walking away from her and linked her arm around Soojin’s. 

She’s beautiful.

- - -

Soojin might have blushed a lot more frequently and Shuhua might have gotten a little bit more touchy, but these subtle differences weren’t obvious to the untrained eye. Thus, three of the members were unaware of the new relationship that had formed between two of the members living under the same roof. 

However, Minnie was not among the three left in the dark. Minnie could tell straight away that something had changed between the two. The way they stared at each other was different. They no longer were stealing glances at each other. They were more confident in their actions. They admired each other unabashedly when they were in the dorm, lost in their own world. Something Minnie found cringey, yet cute at the same time. The second eldest member left the two lovebirds alone and hid her revelation from the rest of the members. It wasn’t her secret to tell. 

Besides the member from Thailand who was overly attuned to her friends’ emotions, these small changes were lost among the whirlwind of their comeback with “Hann'', going unnoticed by the other three. Their upcoming comeback required even more preparation than their debut. Not only would they have to surpass the attention that they received from their debut, but they would also have to be interesting enough to keep the attention they currently had. As a result, the girls were busy practicing and practicing even more. Even when they weren’t practicing, they were unconsciously moving their bodies to the new choreography so that their performances would go as smoothly as possible. Shuhua was especially stressed due to her dance solo that would be showcased during live performances and the number of lines she had in this song, which underwent a generous increase from their previous title track. She would have to sing in Korean and English this time around and the thought nauseated her. 

Along with the nearing comeback, came the return of the presence of cameramen to document the grueling preparation process. And once again, the members readied their camera personas and did their jobs with smiles on their faces. 

On camera, Shuhua became known for being unreserved with her words and opinions. Her bluntness and her shameless jokes were something that she used to entertain the fans—and they were entertained. Eventually, the girl who had little to no screen time and lines had managed to win over the fans’ hearts with her personality. However, something that stood out to the fans even more than her charisma was her bold flirtatious behavior around one member in particular. 

Being clingy toward Soojin was something that Shuhua had always done on camera and there were a few reasons why. The main one being that Soojin was a safe spot for her to showcase her humor. Shuhua knew the older girl would understand what she was trying to say even if it wasn’t clear. They spent so much time together that by this point, Soojin was extremely familiar with the way Shuhua talked. She recognized that there were certain phra