"not too fast unnie, you'll burn your tongue." quickly shifting her bangs out of her eyes with a shake of her head, she warns the raven-haired woman currently making herself comfortable in her seat. she sets down the tray of pastries on the table, taking her place across from her in the warmly lit corner of the cafe they've holed up in. 

the rich scent of chocolate wafts up joohyun's nose as she carefully blows over the cup to cool it down, a line of whipped cream making its way across her top lip as she tilts the cup for a swig. sometimes her manager wonders how the older girl has accomplished such a sophisticated image when she has the demeanor of a little kid behind closed doors.

"do you really think she'll beat me out this time, seulgi-ah?" joohyun was always quick to speak her mind when something was bothering her. it was a trait that seulgi was glad to have picked up on very early in her career alongside the idol. she's learned over the years that joohyun's blunt way of speaking comes off as an acquired taste to others, but it makes her job a lot easier when she gets to know exactly what the woman is thinking. 

"i can't take you seriously with that mustache on your face, santa claus," she reaches across the table to hand her a napkin, "and honestly? i don't think she'll ever see a number one spot as long as you're in the game." seulgi reassures her with a confident grin.

if there is one topic in the world that always manages to be touched on during their hangouts, it's their mutual distaste for korea's rising star. shortly after wendy's debut, rumors began to spread around their company, infecting their way through idols, staff, trainees, and finally to joohyun, taking her completely off guard. 

"i heard from minjeong she called her a stuck up has-been"

"i wouldn't believe anything that comes out of that girl's mouth"

"there's no way, I heard from heejin unnie that she straight up called her a "  

it was typical for gossip to spread like wildfire in the entertainment industry, regardless of its unreliable sources. joohyun was well aware that people absolutely adore drama when it doesn't involve them. she's always known better than to let pointless remarks get to her head, however, with her legacy now being threatened by the younger artist, there was no other choice but to take it personally. 

"you're in your prime joohyunnie, there's nothing she can do that you can't do better." joohyun ruminates on her manager's words as she picks up one of the custard tarts in front of her to take a bite. 

"you're right," she mutters through a mouth full of puff pastry "there's no way in hell i'm losing this fight to someone like her" joohyun's train of thought was abruptly cut off by the sound of seulgi's phone receiving a notification.

"ah unnie, they just emailed me your schedule for the week want me to read it out?" with a small nod, the younger girl begins to list off the activities planned for her comeback promotion. 

"MMTG on monday, cf shoot on tuesday, KODE on wednesday, you're free on thursday, and-"

"code? what's that stand for?" joohyun cuts the girl off with curiosity, crumbs falling from the side of .

"sometimes i seriously forget you're the older one here unnie," seulgi teases with a giggle, "chew and swallow before that tart ends up in my eye." with a playful slap to her manager's arm, joohyun picks up her napkin waiting for an explanation. 

"it's this new youtube channel that pairs up random idols to chat with each other anonymously, they get revealed to each other at the end, it's a whole thing" seulgi opens her phone to the app and pulls up one of the videos from the channel.

'When a big flirt meets another big flirt... Moonbyul & Kim Wooseok [SELF-ON KODE]'

joohyun quirked up in her seat, amused at the sight of a familiar friend of theirs. 

“byulyi really knows how to put on a show huh?” she remarks after glancing at the multi-million view count of the video.

“looks like you're gonna have to go the greasy route if you want this comeback to be a hit unnie.” seulgi winks at her idol counterpart as the other rolls her eyes in protest. 

“yah seulgi-ah, what if it really ends up being a guy, i wouldn't be able to live with myself.” she snickers into her cup at the thought of the onslaught of dating rumors that could potentially happen after filming. 

“yeah you would much rather it be boa sunbaenim wouldn’t you.” the younger girl jabs her in the arm with an accusatory smile. 

“watch it before i go around telling the trainees you're jealous of wooseok for hitting on your ex” 

seulgi’s jaw drops, and her lips form a perfect circle. she reaches across and smears a dab of whipped cream on the older woman’s nose. with a wipe of her napkin and a small glare, joohyun chooses to opt out of a food fight with the girl and diverts her attention back to the video. 

"what do you think i should choose for my chat room nickname?"

although the mystery surrounding the schedule did rile up her nerves a bit, she was grateful for the opportunity to prepare herself and get a feel for what's to come. 

"milf hunter."

"YAH!"