March 2019

"Okay, you guys are seriously creeping me out." Yeri said anxiously "Wait, is this some kind of intervention?"

Jaehyun had brought Yeri home after a date only to find Irene, Taeyong and Johnny waiting for them and saying they had something important that needed to be discussed. That was how the couple ended up sitting on the couch while the other three nervously paced around the room.

"What on earth have we done now?" Jaehyun questioned irritably.

Irene gave them a reluctant glance before finally speaking up "This is not easy for us, but we figured we should have a talk now that you guys are... uh, active."

Yeri blushed profusely while Jaehyun gaped at the older girl in shock.

It had happened on Jaehyun's birthday. They were miraculously free for a whole weekend and Taeyeon had put her apartment at their disposal while she was away on tour. It wasn't really planned, but after a few glasses of champagne they couldn't really think of anything else to do.

Their first time had been a little clumsy and awkward considering their inexperience, but if there was one thing they learned from being trainees was that practice made everything perfect.

"You told her?!?" Jaehyun chided at his girlfriend.

"What? Girls talk about that kind of stuff!" Yeri argued and stared at him accusingly "It's not like you kept quiet either, considering your 'parents' are also here to give us the talk."

"I didn't!" Jaehyun denied vehemently "I share a closet with them. I don't know if you recall, but you kind of left nail marks all over my back the last time!"

"Well, it's not like you were protesting!" Yeri retorted angrily.

Jaehyun threw her a defiant look "That's because I was busy p..."

"For the love of God, DO NOT finish that sentence!" Taeyong begged for mercy and rubbed his temples "This is so stressful."

"Says the guy who wrote a song about whipping and tried to blame it on his sister..." Yeri mumbled under her breath but it was still loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Control your woman, Jaehyun!" Taeyong warned and tried to charge at her.

"Okaaaay, we are literally getting nowhere with this." Johnny commented while holding his friend back "Look, kiddos. We just want to make sure you two are being smart about this."

Irene nodded in agreement "We all know how... exciting those type of activities can be."

"We do?!” Taeyong sniggered "With whom?"

"Park Bogum." Yeri blurted out, desperately trying to get the spotlight on someone else.

Johnny looked horrified "Noona, you joined a cult?!?"

"As I was saying," Irene spoke firmly while rolling her eyes in annoyance "I know you have a real, committed relationship and not some puppy love. All we're asking is for you two to be responsible about this."

"We are using protection." Jaehyun assured as a boyish grin adorned his features "Lots of it. If you know what I mean."

"Everyone got what you meant." Yeri snapped at him "Can you say that louder though? I don't think they heard you all the way in North Korea!"

Taeyong closed his eyes in frustration "So very stressful..."

~~~~~~

May 2019

BREAKING! Red Velvet's Yeri and NCT's Jaehyun caught on a date!

Yeri felt something was wrong when she was told her variety appearance got suddenly canceled. She was sure something was wrong when she was summoned for a meeting with the company's CEO. And her heart sunk when Jaehyun messaged to tell her he had been invited to the same meeting. That could only mean one thing.

Despite being very careful in the beginning, she had to admit they had gotten sloppier as time went by. You can only have so many dates at home or inside the car before the novelty of it starts to wear off. They had resorted to going to coffee shops late at night and someone probably got photographic evidence of it. The agency would not set up a meeting unless there were actual photos going around.

Yeri always knew this day would come eventually. It would be extremely naive of her to think people would never find out, but she always dreaded the repercussions that would surely follow. The unreasonable hate against her had diminished quite a bit over the last year, but she was positive it would make one hell of a comeback now.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't feeling a little apprehensive about it, since Yeri had always been sensitive to other's opinion on her. But for the most part, she was prepared to face the consequences of her choices. Not only was she much more comfortable in her own skin, the moments she had spent with Jaehyun over the past year had made it all worth it.

The only truly unfortunate thing about this whole situation was the fact that her unnies and the NCT boys would be dragged into the storm along with her and Jaehyun.

The Red Velvet members were currently all gathered in a conference room, before the private meeting with the CEO. They had insisted on accompanying their youngest in order to provide her with some much needed moral support. Yeri could tell they were just as nervous but were careful not to say anything so she wouldn't feel guilty.

"I'm sorry I can't make you not go through this with me." Yeri told them broodingly "I wished Jaehyun oppa and I were the only ones getting the backlash."

"We're in this together, baby." Wendy reassured her and flashed a small smile "For better or worse."

"Besides, you didn't do anything wrong." Seulgi added "Anyone who knows the both of you also knows how good you are together."

"I think more people are about to know that." Joy commented while staring at her phone.

"Joy, now is not the time for jokes." Irene scolded lightly.

"I'm serious, just look!" Joy insisted and waved her phone at them.

The other four huddled together and stared at the screen.

"Awww..." Wendy cooed when she understood what Joy was alluding to.

Yeri had been curious but still avoided reading the news story exposing their relationship as she did not feel like putting herself through that. However, while scrolling through the pictures on the article, Yeri felt an overwhelming amount of emotions rapidly taking her over.

There, laid bare for the whole world to see, was the undeniable proof of Jaehyun's love for her. The photos showed them sitting across each other on their favorite table at their favorite coffee shop. In one of the pictures, Yeri was talking animatedly while Jaehyun just smiled and stared at her affectionately. Another set of photos showed him cutting up a slice of his cake and placing it on her plate. The last shot was of them happily strolling through the dark streets hand in hand.

Yeri had no doubts when it came to Jaehyun's love for her. He always made sure she knew his utmost priority was to make her happy. But as she stared at the candidly taken photos, Yeri was able to finally see what other people saw. The fondness behind his actions, his undived attention on her and the look of pure adoration in his eyes.

At that moment, any remnants of hesitation she might've felt were completely washed away. No amount of public scrutiny would be enough for Yeri to give up on Jaehyun. Netizens and antis be damned.

The girls all got startled when the door suddenly busted open and a breathless Jaehyun appeared before them.

"Dude, slow down!" Johnny said after catching up to him and also entering the room, followed by Taeyong, Taeil and Mark.

"Yerim-ah, please don't..." Jaehyun started to say, but Yeri simply got up from her seat and pulled him down for a kiss.

Despite their obvious attraction, Yeri and Jaehyun always made sure to keep their skinship to a minimum when they were around other people. A