Irene, or Joohyun to her friends, bassist of rock band Red Angel, stands with her arms crossed, while watching the television.

“Move your , Joohyun,” Solar, Yongsun, their vocalist/rhythm guitar mutters from the couch behind her, “I can’t see .”

“Yeah, unnie,” Wheein, their drummer, whines as she taps the practice pad on her lap with her drumsticks.

“Your break is almost over, Hyun,” Tiffany, Red Angel’s manager and her sister, reminds her. “Are you not going to finish your food?”

“Let her thirst over her girlfriend in peace, unnie,” Seulgi, their lead guitarist, mumbles with a cheeky smile as she chews her lunch.

“Yah!” she grunts indignantly, holding her bass by the neck before grabbing one of Wheein’s sticks and chucking it in the guitarist's general direction. Seulgi was not wrong but despite the fame they garnered through their success, Joohyun still hates being the center of attention.

Seulgi’s eyes disappear into crescents as she laughs loudly. “What? It’s true,” she says, “you were practically drooling.”

“You hit that?” Chad, one of their road crew, lets out a wolf whistle. “Damn, girl on girl action is so hot.”

A tense silence envelopes the room, everyone suddenly on guard. It’s not like their band being made out of women loving women was a secret. They didn’t want their band to be about their uality so their fans were unsure of the truth behind this “rumor.” They were always gracious when asked about it but they never confirmed anything.

Joohyun turns to the man much taller than she is. “What did you just say to me?” she asks in an eerily calm voice as she removes the bass guitar away from her body, handing it to a Seulgi.

“I said girl on girl action is hot,” Chad repeats, clearly mistaking Joohyun’s calm voice to be one of those conversing casually while he gathers a guitar cable in his hands. “If you’re up for it, maybe I could join y-”

Joohyun moves towards him but Wheein, clearly anxious, stops her with a hand on her arm. “Unnie,” she mumbles, “don’t fight him, he’s way bigger than you.”

“You’re fired,” Tiffany says suddenly before Joohyun could make up her mind, not even looking up from where she’s reading something on her laptop.

“Whoa, whoa, hey,” Chad holds his hands up, eyes widening in alarm. “Calm down, I was just-”

“You were just what?” Tiffany finally looks up from her laptop before setting it aside and taking off her glasses. “ualizing a relationship between two women? Insinuating that my sister, your boss,” she emphasizes, “and her girlfriend would want to have with you?”

“No, I was-” he stutters and stops, “listen, don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

“No,” is all Tiffany says before she walks over to him and despite their comical height difference, no one was making a sound. “Pack your and go.”

---

“Tiffany unnie is so scary,” Wheein whispers before taking a shot.

They were still in the same practice room, hours later, only this time with alcohol and buckets of chicken.

“Damn right, I am,” Tiffany agrees, eyes disappearing with a not at all threatening smile. “But I bought you chicken to make up for you nearly peeing your pants, Wheein-ah.”

“Unnie,” their maknae whines cutely. “I was just worried for Joohyun unnie.”

Joohyun laughs loudly, head leaning towards Yongsun’s shoulder. “I was about to deck him, too.”

“Yeah, you were, ,” her older sister laughs, “I had to step in, your hands are a part of your instrument, Hyun. Can’t have you damaging them.”

“I’m sure Seungwan would appreciate that thought,” Yongsun quips, making everyone laugh while Tiffany wrinkles her nose in disgust.

“Yah!” Joohyun sits up suddenly and hits the vocalist’s shoulder. “Like you’re any better always eye-ing that girl crush Moonbyul!”

"Yah!" Yongsun yells back. "I wasn't-"

"You, you were, unnie," Seulgi says before gulping down her beer. "If we took a shot every time you'd stare at her lips," she whistles lowly, "boy, we'd all have alcohol poisoning."

Yongsun, already red from the very little alcohol that she consumed, blushes even more. "This isn't about me!"

Tiffany laughs loudly with her friends before she's distracted by the loud ping from her phone. She opens her conversation with her girlfriend.

[11:47am] to taetae 💘: made a grown man cry today

[01:23pm] from taetae 💘: it's barely midday, baby

[01:23pm] from taetae 💘: proud of you tho

[05:56pm] to taetae 💘: 😘😘😘

[05:56pm] to taetae 💘: we're drinking with the kids

[07:23pm] from taetae 💘: alright enjoy your night with them I miss you 😘

The phone was yanked from her hands by Yongsun. "This isn't about me, clearly, because Fany unnie is too busy ting our other mom!"

---

Joohyun sighs, trying to look where she was going despite the push of the crowd. They were immediately swarmed by paparazzi the moment they stepped into the airport.

The reporters were annoying, too.

"Seulgi, is it true you're dating The Velvets’ Park Sooyoung?"

"Miss Jung, you and miss Yongsun were spotted in a club with notorious playgirl Hwasa-"

At this, Wheein almost lets go of Yongsun's hand but the older woman just holds her hand encouragingly. The maknae just nods her slightly and keeps walking.

"Miss Irene, I heard you were dating Wendy of The Velvets, is it true?"

The question was punctuated with a yank on her wrist and Joohyun stops in her tracks, not even Tiffany's iron grip on her wrist could make her continue walking.

"What's it to you?" she asks softly. She didn't like to be touched, especially not by grimy men who hound her for tabloid bits. "I wanna know what's it to you, personally."

"W-well, I- uh," the tall American stutters and reddens under the bassist's piercing stare.

"That's what I thought," she says with a smirk before taking her sister's hand and walking away.

---

Hours after landing in Korea, Joohyun is awakened by her phone ringing. She didn't even make it to her bed, just threw her luggage by the door and dropped herself unceremoniously on the couch.

"Hello?" she answers huskily, sleep still evident her voice.

"Hey, y," Seungwan greet