Having taken Jinyoung’s hand for a handshake Jisoo was finally close enough to make out his features. It’s been 3 years since she last saw him up close like this. His features were more mature now, but he still had that boyish charm to his looks that made it difficult to look away, especially when he smiled.

By the look of his raised, questioning eyebrow, Jisoo figured that her sudden use to nyeongan had taken him aback. Maybe he just didn’t remember that she always used to greet him like that. Or maybe…

“Oh, did I overdo it? Was that greeting too casual?” Jisoo asked worriedly while biting her lip and berating herself for not speaking formally like he did. Yes, they were friends– well, kind of– but having met for the first time in three years, she should not have dropped formalities so quickly, especially in such a professional setting. If she was being quite honest, seeing someone familiar just made her excited– too excited, maybe.

“No, it’s alright. Don’t worry about it,” Jinyoung told her, though he continued to speak formally– cautiously– with her.

Seeing someone familiar, Jisoo wanted to catch up with Jinyoung, wanted to ask him what he’s been doing since they last talked. What books he’s read, since they used to always talk about that. Or what new places he’s travelled to, or new games he was playing. But before she could organize all her thoughts into a coherent sentence and speak another word, Writer Lee interjected to continue with the introductions. Jisoo had almost forgotten that there were others in the room, getting so lost in reuniting with an old friend unexpectedly.

“You two… know each other?” Writer Lee looked from Jinyoung to Jisoo back and forth, her eyes growing wide with curiosity behind those huge glasses of hers as she took in the situation.

“Yes,” they said simultaneously while turning to the writer, perfectly in sync. When they realized it, they looked at each other and chuckled at themselves.

“We worked together as music show MCs back in 2017. Jinyoung and I met for the first time this building, too– the SBS building.”

Jinyoung nodded wordlessly, letting Jisoo do the talking.

“Oh is that so? I actually had you two come a bit earlier than the rest of the cast so that you can get to know each other a little, but this coincidental turn of events makes things so much simpler!”

“Well,” Jinyoung cleared his throat, “Miss Kim and I haven’t really talked since then. We might actually still need the time to get acquainted again.”

The writer smiled. “You guys already seem acquainted enough seeing how you’re still holding each other’s hands. That’s a pretty long handshake.”

The room erupted into a chorus of giggles and comments about how cute they are together, causing the two to abruptly let go of each other’s hands. Jisoo placed her hand inside her pocket, while Jinyoung just smiled like it was nothing– both of them unfazed by the teasing.

It figures. They were used to those kinds of reactions anyway.             

Back when they were still working together in Inkigayo four years ago, even though she did not let it show, Jisoo was very much aware of the comments from the Inkigayo staff about how cute she and Jinyoung look together. There were comments online as well that she discovered from lurking on Twitter and Instagram, especially following their Uptown Funk dance. There were also instances when Doyoung or Lisa or the other Blackpink (and even Twice) members would tease Jisoo about how she looked at Jinyoung or spoke of him in a certain way, or comment on how it was probably more than coincidence– fate, maybe– that Jisoo met Jinyoung right when GOT7’s dating ban was lifted by JYP, or how the two always seemed to read the same books. Even the writers would sometimes write the script with the mildest undertones of Jisoo and Jinyoung being a couple or something along those lines, and she and Jinyoung just went along with it without thinking about it too much. It was, after all, a job.

And Jisoo, trying to be professional, treated it as such.

Over the weeks what was initially a professional relationship blossomed into a genuine friendship, with the two getting comfortable talking to each other about random things. Their conversations could range from what they had for breakfast to a discussion about the symbolisms in the books they had both read. Jinyoung, being the more senior of the two, would sometimes give Jisoo advice when she would seem overwhelmed about the difficulties that came with being an idol. Jisoo, on the other hand, once read lines with Jinyoung to help him prepare for an upcoming drama audition of his, since Jinyoung admitted to not having that many female friends to run lines with and he couldn’t take the GOT7 members seriously when he ran lines with them. That favor Jinyoung returned by bringing Jisoo her favorite snack from Japan when he came back from an overseas schedule. All this occurred simultaneously with their playful banters and teasing in between takes.

It was this comfortable friendship that made emceeing Inkigayo something that Jisoo looked forward to each week.

But, nearing the end of their MC stint Jisoo noticed that Jinyoung started distancing himself from her, and she never understood nor asked why. She just told herself that maybe he just didn’t like her, or that he was too conscious of what his fans would think if they were too close. At that time, it was for the best anyway, so Jisoo didn’t overthink– she just accepted that they were growing apart. She told herself again and again that it was just a job, and whatever feelings of attachment she had were fleeting, brought about by the forced proximity of having to work together on a weekly basis, and that it was all over, she wouldn’t have such a soft spot for the seemingly-cool-but-extremely-dorky guy with the electric smile, weird sense of humor, and excellent taste in books. Besides, Jisoo was just in her second year post-debut at that time, and she wouldn’t want to get Blackpink any trouble for being too close with male idols. Whether that closeness was just friendship or something else, Jisoo wasn’t brave enough to explore those feelings.

The last time they had talked to each other was 3 years ago– they took one last selca as JinJiDo in one of their shared dressing rooms, then Jinyoung left first after saying his goodbyes. Jisoo watched him leave quietly, even though part of her really wanted to tell him to keep in touch.

At present, the two of them sat side-by-side in the middle of the long table while Writer Lee and Director Kang briefed them about how the drama production schedule was going to go. The filming would last about 5 months, starting in about 2 weeks, and some of the scenes would have to be filmed in New York. If everything goes according to the timeline, the first episode of the drama would air in mid-July and the last episode would be in the first week of September. That means that they would be at the tail end of their filming schedule while the drama is airing, because of scheduling constraints. While all this is happening, Jisoo would be promoting her new album with Blackpink and preparing for their 12-show Japan tour, beginning in August. She would have to fly back between Korea for drama filming and promotions and Japan for the tours during that time.

They had already sent Jisoo and her team the initial schedule, but even so, hearing them say it out loud made Jisoo’s head spin and jaw drop.

“You okay?” Jinyoung asked, probably noticing Jisoo’s expression. After Jinyoung asked but before Jisoo could answer, one of the PDs noticed her expression as well and felt the need to reassure her that everything was being taken care of.

“Don’t worry, Jisoo. We’re currently in contact with your companies to coordinate your schedules and to ensure that you’ll mis