The preparations for the sub unit's mini album were as winding and hectic as Irene expected. The recording went on for longer and the dance moves more complex since it's just two of them.

The absence of three members meant that the mistakes they committed were much more pronounced therefore the struggle for perfection was greater. Overall, everything was just harder. There's really no other word to describe it. The whole ordeal was difficult. 

When the concept of the album was explained to them in a meeting a few months ago, Irene couldn't handle her shock. 

"Is this even allowed?" She had asked. 

There really was no denying that everything was.. intimate, to say the least. If Irene were to be asked, she would say that it was straight up queerbaiting.

"We would just like to showcase a different side of you to the public." The staff had said. "One that is far from the usual image of Red Velvet."

Oh it was far, alright. Irene had her hesitations, but surprisingly, Seulgi just approached the concept with amusement. 

"Cool." She had grinned. 

It wasn't cool. It was..strange. 

Well, Irene had to admit, it was really cool. Everything was brilliant. But the subunit debut really made her deal with things she wasn't ready to face. 

Like the fact that most of their shoots included close proximity with each other, often with arms intertwined, and sometimes their faces needed to be so close, their lips would be mere centimeters apart. 

It awakened something in Irene. 

Actually, ​​​​​​if she was really being honest, she knew that she was attracted to girls back when she was just a trainee. Back then, the thought of being with men really just didn't sit right with her. She chalked it up to just being focused on her goal and she figured that every boy that confessed to her (and there were a lot) just liked her because she had a pretty face.

Nevermind her other redeemable traits; they just cared about her beauty. 

When she started training under SM, naturally, the boys pined after her. What she didn't expect though, were the girls. 

At first, Joohyun (as she was not Irene at the time) thought that the girls just wanted to be her friend. Being the introvert that she is, she welcomed their company and would then be surprised later on upon receiving a love confession.

Her first time rejecting a girl, Irene was so concerned for the girl's feelings she almost agreed to date her. After a few more, she learned how to let a girl down gently. As for the guys, she wasn't too cold but she really didn't care for their feelings. 

Enter Kang Seulgi.

Seulgi was in the company for much longer and she practically grew up in SM. She was naturally charming so Irene instantly noticed her the moment she saw her perform. Seulgi could sing and dance well so it's really no surprise that she had a string of admirers everywhere she went. 

Irene hated to admit it, but the within the first few months of meeting each other, she had a little crush on Seulgi. 

​​​​​​However, as they became friends, that little crush turned into fond admiration especially since they stood as each other's rock during the hard times they spent as trainees. 

Irene was able to put a stop to her feelings successfully because she felt that what Seulgi needed was a true friend with no ulterior motives. Besides, if they ever want to make their dreams come true, relationships would just make everything so complicated. 

Then came Be Natural. 

Of course, they were complete professionals about it. But Irene couldn't help but stare just a little bit harder in Seulgi's eyes, couldn't stop her fingers from lingering just a little bit longer on Seulgi's back, couldn't keep her body from inching just a little bit closer to Seulgi. 

And maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like Seulgi was doing those things too. There was just this unexplainable electricity flowing through them, coursing through their bodies and translating to fluid movements that the choreography demanded. Their chemistry was palpable, but so was the tension. 

After another hard practice, Irene and Seulgi were left alone in the room, an occurrence that wasn't exactly new; they had logged countless hours of additional practice as a way to keep their edge and  also to further hone their skills. 

They danced to Be Natural again and again until they could get the choreography down to the beat. They sat in front of the mirror, Irene on the chair prop and Seulgi on the floor directly in front of her. 

They just sat there until their heartbeats came down to a normal level. Irene, being fond of skinship, slid her arms down Seulgi's shoulders, hugging the younger from behind. Seulgi made a fuss about being too sweaty but it fell to deaf ears.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, just staring at themselves in the mirror, talking about certain parts of the choreography they'd like to tweak and teasing each other about trivial things. 

Seulgi turned to face Irene and suddenly the girls realized how close their faces were. Irene's heart pounded and she briefly worried if Seulgi can feel it since she's still so closely wrapped around the younger girl. 

Irene's eyes flitted back and forth between Seulgi's eyes and lips, gauging the situation. Seulgi inched her face just a little bit closer but it's not as if there's any space left to begin with. Seulgi closed her eyes and Irene did the same as they slowly closed the gap.

The move took mere seconds but to Irene, it felt like eternity. Especially since about a thousand thoughts went running through her head. 

What does this mean?

What about our future?

What---

But then her mind went blank as soon as she felt Seulgi's lips on her. 

Before Irene could even process what's happening, the door knob rattled, indicating that someone was opening it from the other side.

Both girls were startled and Irene jumped up and dragged her chair away in one swift motion. The choreographer entered, noting that she forgot her water bottle and she just came to pick it up. Irene bowed her out of the room. 

​​​As for Seulgi? She stayed rooted to her spot on the floor, fingers on her lips, still mulling over what happened. 

But for Irene, it was like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on her, shaking her awake to the earth-shattering truth.

Of course.

Her and Seulgi, whatever this was, it simply cannot happen. 

Their dreams are just too important. They sacrificed too much. They cannot do anything to jeopardize that. She knew this when she pursued this industry. 

There's no way this can happen again. 

The walk home was quiet. They didn't talk about the kiss or what it meant. It was just like it never happened. 

When it was time to part, Seulgi grabbed onto Irene's hand. But before she can say anything, Irene cut her off. 

"What happened was a mistake. We shouldn't talk about it again."

And they never did. 

​​​​

---

"Unnie!" Seulgi waved a hand in front of Irene's face. "Let's go."

Irene blinked several times. She was so immersed in her thoughts about the past, she forgot they were filming the music video for Monster right now. 

​"What were you thinking about?" Seulgi chuckled. "You had such a faraway look on your face."

"Lunch." Irene smiled crookedly. She hated lying. Most of all, she hated lying to Seulgi.

"Me too." Seulgi's eyes disappeared into crescents as she smiled. "Now let's do this in one take so we'll get to have an early lunch."

With the scenes that they had to film, Irene feared they'd be here all day. She couldn't keep a straight (pun intended) face especially when the scenes involved Seulgi crawling up to her, pushing her into the wall, and whispering something in her ear. 

God. Why did she agree to this? 

It was like Be Natural all over again. The tension was there but Irene felt like she was the only one experiencing it all. On cue, Seulgi was intense, intimate, smoldering. But as soon as they yelled cut, she cracked into a big smile, asking Irene if she did okay. 

"Did I push you too hard?" She said in between laughs. 

Irene could only smile in return. 

All in all, the subunit was already so difficult to begin with but Irene's resurfacing feelings made everything all the more complex. She sighed as she pored over their promotions for the following weeks.

This is going to be hell. 

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