“Who’s your ideal type?” the MC asks, gesturing to Wendy. Irene doesn’t register her answer, her mind whirling in a flurry of thoughts. Her ideal type, of course, would be the adorable, green-haired maknae sitting a seat away, but she obviously couldn’t state that. She had even made sure the maknae herself didn’t know. So she just sits silently, letting out a tiny laugh as Wendy compares her dad to Park Myungsoo.

Then the MC asks her, and she’s startled out of her thoughts. “What? N-no one,” she stutters, hesitantly, looking down in embarrassment.

“Excuse me,” the MC teases, “Are you scared?”

“N-no!” she stutters again, this time with a slight smile and waving her hand as if to emphasize her un-scaredness. The rest of the members laugh, and her smile widens a bit.

“So, you don’t have an ideal type?” the MC presses.

“No, no ideal type” she confirms, and once again her thoughts are drawn to the big baby sitting a seat away. It’s hard, she reflects to herself, and Joy can’t ever know, and neither can the public, but sometimes she wishes so very hard that the maknae could love her back the way she loves Joy.

On the car ride back to their dorms, the other members chatter excitedly, baby maknae included. Irene listens attentively to everything they’re saying, smiling along with them. She’s always content when they’re in the car, where she doesn’t have to worry about anyone’s comments about her shyness or anything. She can just be herself, watching over her members as they chitchat.

“Manager oppa,” Wendy calls out, her giggles slowly fading. “Do we have another schedule later tonight?”

All the members quiet down, and Irene prays that they don’t. She just wants to rest and hangout with the members, and more specifically, Joy. Because of their recent debut, they aren’t all getting sufficient sleep each night.

So, when their manager calls back, “No. You guys have a good rest tonight, okay?” the corners of her lips lift in a wide smile and her eyes sparkle with delight.

In the backseat, Wendy cheers, “YES!” as Joy laughs happily. “We can go to the Chinese restaurant and takeout!”

Irene just smiles sweetly, nodding her head. Seulgi, who has yet to say anything about their lack of schedule later in the night, nudges Irene. “Unnie,” she teases, “What’s got you so happy? It’s just the dorms” and Irene, in a fit of playfulness, sticks her tongue out at Seulgi and turns back around. The members all laugh at her childish behavior, and before they know it, the van has stopped at their dorms.

“Thank you manager oppa!” they all call out and head upstairs. The 1994 twins decide to head out to the Chinese restaurant and get their food, but Irene also knows they're walking to the restaurant because they’re ordering more for themselves. Laughing slightly, she clambers onto the bed in their room and plops down gracefully.

Then she feels a sudden weight on her bed. “Unnie~~” she hears, and she blushes slightly, turning her head away so their giant maknae wouldn’t see.

“Yes?” she replies softly. She so desperately wants to hold the maknae right now, but she doesn’t know how Joy would react. So she sits up and just stares at Joy, a smile lighting her face.

“Unnie~” Joy repeats, laughing. “I’m bored, play with me”

Irene just nudges Joy with her shoulder, hard enough that Joy falls over and bursts out laughing once more.

Then Joy sits back up. “Oh yeah unnie, I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” she says, her eyes widening a tiny fraction.

Irene tilts her head, staring at her big baby lovingly. “What is it?” she replies gently.

“Who’s your ideal type?” Joy says teasingly but still serious at the same time.

Irene instantly sobers, and she looks down at the bedsheets. She never once thought that Joy would ask her this question, and berates herself. What should she say? She obviously can’t say Joy. “I-I don’t have one” her voice lowers, almost to the softness of a whisper.

“C’mon, unnie~” Joy says, again drawing out the word endearingly. Irene just shakes her head. “Unnie~~” Joy teases once more.

At this, Irene gets extremely frustrated. Why can’t she just say it? And why, just why does Joy have to be so very adorable and say “unnie” that way? Why can’t Joy just be hers? What can she do? Frustrated and helpless, Irene lashes out unknowingly. “Just drop it okay?!” she half yells.

Joy flinches as if she’s been struck, and she might as well have been. She’s never, ever heard Irene yell. At most, Irene just uses her really serious leader voice (it’s what her, Wendy, and Seulgi have dubbed it as), and then the members calm down and do whatever she says. But shouting? Never. And especially never at Joy. So Joy gradually stands up, eyes on the ground, still comprehending what just happened. Her favorite unnie, leader unnie, just shouted at her. Her eyes fill with tears and she runs out of their room.

Irene stares at the open door in shock. She wants to slap herself. How in the world could she just lash out at Joy? Her maknae? Her baby? She groans in frustration and collapses onto the bed. She hears the bathroom door close heavily, and the shower faucet get . Irene just stares at the ceiling, wondering how in the world shes’s going to get Joy to forgive her without revealing her feelings or scaring her away.

As Irene thinks, the shower eventually stops running, and she hears the door creak open. Her eyes immediately go to her giant maknae, who’s wrapped only in a fluffy white towel. “Joy?” she calls out hesitantly. But maknae averts her eyes, not mad, but confused and hurt at Irene. Irene, seeing maknae’s vision dart away, dejectedly lowers her head and plays with her fingers, waiting for Joy to finish changing. She hears the rustle of clothing eventually stop, and looks up once more. “Joy?” she calls out again, even softer this time.

Joy knows her favorite unnie is sorry, she can hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes. But she doesn’t know how to react. Irene had yelled at her, and all she asked was about her ideal type. Irene was obviously sensitive about the subject, but why? Joy decides to walk to the couch and think some more. She moves to take a step, when she feels 2 arms encircle her waist. A warmth fills her, and she stills.

“Joy,” Irene says, more insistently this time.

“What?” Joy chokes out quietly. She turns around in Irene’s arms.

Irene presses closer and hugs Joy tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you, it’s just I-“ she stops speaking when she feels Joy hug her back.

“It’s okay unnie, I forgive you,” Joy says into her ear, hugging Irene even tighter. She pulls Irene back down onto the bed and just stares at the leader’s pretty face. “You don’t have to tell me your ideal type if you don’t want to” she says understandingly.

Irene just shakes her head. “No, you deserve to know,” she affirms. She takes a deep breath, praying she won’t regret her next words, and rushes out, “itsyouyouremyidealtype”.

Joy tilts her head so adorably that Irene wants to tear her hair out. “What, unnie?” she asks confusingly.

“It-It’s you, Joy. You’re my ideal type. I love you. You’re so cute, and chubby, and adorable, and I love the way you say ‘unnie’ to me and the way you scream softly when I wake you up or scare you and the way my whole body just fills with happiness when we hold hands. I just really love you…” Irene trails off and stares down again. She’s let it all out, and she doesn’t know what she’ll do if Joy rejects her.

Then she feels 2 fingers lift her chin up and she stares into big chocolate-brown eyes. Joy’s laughing delightfully. Irene just stares uncomprehendingly. Why is Joy laughing? She just poured out her heart, and…

Joy’s laughter dies down, and she leans forward and kisses Irene. They stay frozen like that for only a few seconds, but to Irene, it feels like the world has stopped spinning. When Joy pulls away, Irene just stares in shock. “I love you too, unnie” Joy says adorably. Irene just stares.

“W-what?”

“Unnie~” there it is again. “I love you too” Joy leans forward and kisses Irene quickly again.

Irene can’t form any words with , so she just scoots even closer to Joy, leans her head on her shoulder, and nuzzles into Joy’s neck. Joy wraps her arms around Irene’s waist, cuddling her.

Then they both hear the door open. “We’re back!” Wendy yells happily, her arms full of Chinese food. “Joy? Irene unnie?”

Joy stands up, “We’re coming!” she yells back. Irene just sits on the bed, not wanting to get up. Joy leans down a little bit, grabbing Irene’s hand and interlacing their fingers. “C’mon unnie, it’s time to eat.”

A smile slowly spreads across Irene’s face. “I love you” she says again, softly.

“I know,” Joy says, grinning just as widely. “And I love you too.”