Seulgi felt herself getting increasingly annoyed that her heart wouldn’t stop pounding in her ears as they approached the Press Conference venue.  She had talked to Sunmi on the phone, and they had mostly agreed what to say, but meeting her in person and doing this next to her was still a very intimidating proposition.  They had announced the press conference in vague terms about a joint project from key members of several well established girl groups, so the press was there in force even half an hour before the event.  Fortunately the venue had an underground garage, so she knew they would be able to get in unnoticed. However she gritted her teeth thinking that after it was over, it wouldn’t matter how they left, as everyone would know what was going on.  As the car came to a complete stop, Seulgi took a deep breath and opened the door, and stepped out. “This is it..” she thought to herself. “The moment of truth.. today we..” Her thoughts were interrupted by Sunmi swooping in and giving her a tight hug.  “Seulgi-ah! Aren’t you excited?! After today we don’t have to hide anymore!” She said with a beaming smile. In her eyes, Seulgi could see she wasn’t quite as convinced as she sounded, but her happiness was so infectious Seulgi couldn’t help but smile as well.

As Seulgi made her way onto the stage she saw the girls from Mamamoo already seated. Yongsun gave her a big grin and a thumbs up as she walked past her.  Hani, Eunha and Sana were also seated, and there were three chairs free. Sunmi walked ahead and sat down on the left side and patted the chair next to her.. Joohyun sat down at the far right and Seulgi sat down between them, feeling a sense of security from both sides. Under the table, Sunmi squeezed her left hand tightly, and at the same time Joohyun patted her right leg reassuringly.  Sunmi noticed a lot of smirks and whispering among the press in the audience, as it was pretty obvious some of them thought it was amusing that this collaboration included so many they had spread rumors about. “Little do they know…” Seulgi thought to herself, as Joohyun grabbed the microphone and stood up, clearly nervous, but with a very determined look on her face. Looking up at her, Seulgi felt incredibly fortunate to be able to fight her battles with Joohyun by her side.

“You may wonder why you are all here,” Joohyun started hesitantly, but then took a deep breath and continued: “We aren’t actually here to present a collaboration or event; it’s actually something much more important.” She paused for a bit and then continued: “We are here to shine a light on something that most of the modern world already takes for granted, but that we are still too scared to even talk about;  The simple fact that we as idols should be able to love whoever we want, and not have to live in fear of having our careers ruined when someone from the press decides to violate our privacy.” The gathered press had been mostly silent until now, but the last comments triggered some annoyed whispering. Joohyun continued: “Until now, the status quo has been maintained because no one has been willing to break the unwritten rule alone, in fear of being singled out. But there is strength in numbers, so that’s why we are here. This really isn’t anyone’s business but our own, but since we live in public this is our only choice. So let me start by saying that, although I am currently single, my choice would be to date a woman.”  In the audience, some people gasped audibly, and the whispering intensified. Hani at that point stood up, and chimed in: “I know Solji already said this a few weeks ago, but I feel the same and am in the same situation as Joohyun.” Hearing some nervous laughter from the audience, she looked over at Joohyun with a grin, and continued:  “And no, just because we are both single doesn’t mean there is anything going on between us, but I could certainly do worse!” Joohyun blushed brightly but kept her composure.

As Joohyun and Hani sat down, Sana and Eunha stood up.   Sana looked out over the audience with a shy smile. “I know I have said this before, a few times, but when I said Eunha was my girlfriend, I really meant it.. I love her!” Eunha blushed and nodded. “I know I might not say it as often, but I love Sana too.”  she added, as Sana leaned over and gave her a hug. “I really hope you can accept this for what it is.” she added with a soft smile. As they sat down, the Mamamoo members all stood up. “This may come as a surprise to one or two of you,” Yongsun started: “but Moonbyul and I have been a couple for several years now.” There were a few murmurs in the crowd, but more nods.  “Until now, we really didn’t feel it was anyone’s business but ours. However, recent developments have made us realize that if we, as a group, present a joint message, people might realize it really is not that big of a deal”. Hyejin chimed in: “When I first met Wheein over 10 years ago, I instantly knew I needed her to be my girlfriend, and when I realized she felt the same we knew it was meant to be. We have been together ever since, and it feels good to be able to say it as it is!”   Wheein nodded and blushed slightly, putting her hand on Hyejins shoulder. Moonbyul joined in: “Yongsun is very special to me, and it is a relief to be able to be open about it. I know there are some people who will have a hard time accepting this, and I do empathize with that, but ultimately, we deserve to be able to live our lives in public too.”

Seulgi took a deep breath, realizing it was their turn next. She could feel her heart beating furiously, and it was making her light headed.  A tight squeeze of her hand under the table reminded her that Sunmi was right there next to her, and that they were doing this together. They both stood up, and Seulgi looked out over the audience, wincing a bit from the intense glares back at her. She knew this wouldn’t be easy, but she was ready.. Sunmi started, looking at Seulgi rather than the crowd: “Even before we were on Secret Unnie together I had a crush on you, Seulgi, and being able to experience that show with you made me realize we had something special, and our secret meeting confirmed it. My heart beats faster when you are around, and I get chills when I hear your voice. I told you this before, but now i want everyone to know: I love you, Seulgi-ah!” She ended by pulling Seulgi close for a hug. Seulgi blushed and was almost lost for words, but overcame it: “Sunmi, you are an amazing person, and your smiles lights up my life. You make me feel special whenever we are together, and I am so relieved we don’t have to hide anymore.  I love you too!” She then turned to the audience: “To everyone listening or reading about this later, let me just extend this simple request: if you love us, let us love who we love. Is that really too much ask?” There was some murmuring among some of the older members of the press, but the younger ones were mostly quiet. At that point Joohyun stood up and rested her hand on Seulgi’s shoulder: “I know this may be hard for some of you to accept, but it’s just the way it is. I hope to see you all at our next comebacks. Thank you for attending!” As the stage lights dimmed, the gathered press broke into loud conversation as they absorbed what had just happened. Watching them, Seulgi realized nothing would quite be the same again.