Yerin actually got to the venue earlier than she thought, it’s only 2:00 o’clock so she wasn’t sure if Sinb minded that she was a little early. She took out her phone and called the number that Sinb gave her. 

“Hello?” came through the other line, it sure did sound like a man.

“Hello, this is Yerin. Is this Sinb’s manager?” 

“Yes, are you in front of the building?” 

“Yes I am”

“Okay, I’ll come to get you in just a second. Stay put!” the manager says and he immediately ends the call.

Yerin only stood there with her backpack on her, looking around the empty area. It’s probably going to be full of fans soon, around 2-3 hours from now. It’s the first time she’s been this early to a fansigning venue and it feels foreign how empty it is out here.

After almost 5 minutes, a male figure came out the sliding door and waved at Yerin. He pulled down his mask and gave her a big smile, greeting Yerin with a small head bow.

“Hello Yerin-ssi, do you need any help with your bag?”

“No, not at all, thank you.” Yerin declined the offer and bowed back to him as a greeting.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He led the way into the building and Yerin followed him from behind. 

Soon enough, there were in front of a door which a label that said “Waiting Room: [Soloist] Sinb”

The manager headed in first and Yerin followed, her heart started to mess with her again. She looked around the well lit white room, scanning through her surroundings and making sure she’s not getting kidnapped or anything. 

The room was your typical idol waiting room, with big mirrors paired with a vanity. A couple of sofas and coffee tables. It was filled with a few of other staff members which Yerin assumed were Sinb’s hair, makeup and outfit stylists and her other managers. They all bowed to Yerin as a greeting and she did the same.

Before she could scan anymore of the room, her eyes landed on Sinb who was completely indulged into her phone, which she expected nothing less of the idol. She was wearing a big black hoodie though her makeup and hair were all done. She looked as pretty as ever, Yerin thought. 

Yerin sat her bag down on a near sofa and she heard the male manager call Sinb for her attention. When she turned around, Sinb was already looking at her with a wide smile, immediately motioning her hands to come sit with her.

“Hello, Eunbi-ssi” Yerin greeted her with a bow before sitting down beside Sinb, making sure there was enough comfortable space between her and the idol. The last thing she wants is to make Sinb uncomfortable. She wasn’t even sure why she’s here in the first place. 

“Hi, Yerin-ssi! Did you get here fine? And whoa, look you’re actually pretty early!” Sinb said as she pointed towards the clock on her phone lockscreen, clearly excited. Before Yerin could reply, Sinb’s hand swiftly reached out towards Yerin's face, pulling down her mask, catching the girl a little off guard that her cheeks are now a tint of pink. 

“I-it was quite a long commute ride, but I got here just fine…” Yerin said, her voice soft, her eyes anywhere but Sinb’s.

“Ah, that’s good to hear. Have you had lunch?” Sinb asked.

Yerin only shook her head as an answer. “Hm… should we eat lunch together? Do you like ramen?”

“I’m fine with anything” 

“Okay, let’s go!” Sinb grabbed Yerin’s hand and led her.

“Don’t go out for too long, Eunbi-ya” she heard the male manager say as they exit the room, 

“Ne~~”

Yerin couldn’t process much of what was happening, she only followed and hoped Sinb didn’t mind her sort of clammy cold hands, though the idol’s hands were the same. Soon enough they were at a corner that seemed to be a mini staff dining area that was filled with food and necessary things. 

Sinb only smiled wide when they arrived, immediately picking out her favourite that ramen that Yerin was well aware of. The idol turned to Yerin and gestured for her to do the same, so Yerin picked her favourite ramen too.

Silence filled the corner as they prepared their ramen, Sinb had a small smile on her face the whole time, while Yerin could only do the same whilst trying to maintain her posture. Is she really here to eat ramen with her favourite idol? This isn’t real, she thought.

They sat down at the table and waited for their ramen to be done. 

“Eunbi-ssi…” Yerin called the idol, “Is there a reason why I’m here this early…?” 

Sinb averted her gaze towards Yerin. She shamelessly roamed her eyes on the girl's face, taking note of every mole and feature, she’s never been this up close with Yerin and Sinb found Yerin to be so mind-blowingly gorgeous. She couldn’t help but stare. 

“Well… do you need another reason to be here besides taking photos and videos?” 

“I guess not.” 

Sinb gave Yerin a wide smile, “Nice cover up, by the way,” she took her cup of ramen and snapped her pair of chopsticks in half, mixing the broth and noodles together. 

Yerin’s eyebrows raised in question. “Pardon?”

“Your tweet.” Sinb simply said before slurping a big portion of her ramen. She hummed as the broth hit her taste buds in satisfaction. 

Then she took Yerin’s cup of ramen and did the same, except she only mixed it and handed it back to the girl. Yerin only watched, confused, then snapped her chopsticks in half and started eating hers without question.

Then it clicked. She was talking about the poop tweets. Yerin’s cheeks became flushed red, her ears too. She almost choked on her noodles.

“Sorry, was that out of line?” Yerin apologised with her head down.

“Not at all, I loved it. The responses were really funny.” 

Yerin let out a breath she didn’t know she had held in, again, and continued to slurp on her ramen. 

“Do you want to try mine?” Sinb offered her cup towards Yerin, not knowing what to do, Yerin offered hers back and they swapped.

“This is so good, I wonder who mixed it for it to be this good, wow...” Sinb said while she ate Yerin’s cup of ramen. The girl only giggled as she heard that sentence. This is Hwang Eunbi, alright. 

“Do you follow my Twitter, Eunbi-ssi?” Yerin asked out of curiosity. She was genuinely curious to how Sinb found that tweet in the first place. 

“Of course I do, I’m your number one fan!” Sinb exclaimed. Yerin chuckled at the answer.

They switched back their ramen cups and continued to eat in comfortable silence. Once they were done, Sinb got herself and Yerin a bottle of banana milk.

“It feels weird being here,” Yerin confessed, she felt a little uneasy being in close proximity with Sinb. All this time, her mind was set to that boundary she had set herself to. Sinb was the idol, she was the fan. It was nothing more and nothing less, but now, here she was with Sinb, drinking banana milk together as they walked back to the idol’s waiting room.

Sinb stopped her tracks slowly and Yerin noticed so she did the same. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I considered how you would feel, Yerin-ssi…” Sinb almost whispered, realising that she was being selfish all this time and not even thinking about what the other girl would feel. “Do you want to go home? Because that’s perfectly okay with me, please don’t think that just because I told you to be here that you have to, you can go home whenever you’d like…”

Yerin turned to face her idol. She didn’t know how to act or respond to her. While yes, she’s talked to Sinb numerous times, and they’ve had plenty of nice and short conversations, but this was different. It hasn’t really hit Yerin yet how this wasn’t a fansigning and nobody was around them. It felt uneasy because Yerin was always so used to people watching them both having a conversation so she was just unsure of how to act now that they’re completely alone.

And at the same time, who does she owe this privilege to? What was Sinb gaining from this? What was the purpose of all of this? The facetime call, the manager letting her into the building with ease, her being with Sinb right now as they speak, she even has Sinb’s personal number? And the date…?

Too many questions, but they had plenty of time, Yerin could just ask these questions to the idol but she was scared that Sinb might get offended. 

“Is there somewhere private we can go to, Eunbi-ssi? Just the two of us?” Yerin asked, hoping that it wouldn’t sound that creepy or predatory to her idol.

Sinb tilted her head in question and thought of a place. She nodded and grabbed Yerin’s hand again, leading the way, a small smile present on her face, her heart feeling a little uneasy yet content.