“Morning!” Chaeyeon happily greeted the cameramen and staff before entering their shooting tent. She dropped her shoulder bag on the mini sofa bed and turned around, only to see her ‘tentmate’ clicking the laptop keyboard nonstop.

She slowly walked behind the girl before clearing . “Need some energizer?”

And she put the take-out coffee she bought on the desk, careful not to spill it on any of the files.

“Chae,” Though busy and in a rush, the CEO managed to glance at the girl’s face.

The dancer just replied with a kiss on top of her head. “Continue what you’re doing, don’t mind me.”

Chaeyeon then pulled one of the chairs scattered around the large tent and sat beside her beau.

“Eun, tell me if you need help, okay? You look quite exhausted… W-Wait, don’t misunderstand! You are still the most beautiful girl in my eyes even when you’re tired. I’m just… Worried.”

The former Youtuber could clearly remember that time they got into a fight just because she told Eunbi to rest and the older received the concern in a negative way.

“I understand, Chae… You don’t have to correct yourself.” The Kwon answered softly. She then released a burdened sigh. “We’re having a meeting with a huge client tomorrow, and guess who my father assigned in reporting.”

“... Me?” Lee replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Somehow, it made the appointed CEO laugh a little.

“Dad says that clients need to know who I am, that I’m his heir. The pressure is on, I just don’t know if I can handle it.”

“Of course, you can!” Chaeyeon encouraged, hitting the arms of her chair before standing up and reaching for Kwon’s both hands. “I know you can. I believe in you… And so should you.”

Eunbi smiled sweetly before standing up and wrapping her arms around Chae’s nape. “I must’ve saved the country in my past life for the Gods to give me such an amazing person like you.”

And the girl just replied with a simple “You’re the amazing person, Eun, not me.”

“Miss Lee, Miss Kwon-”

The couple quickly separated like they got electric shocked or something. The assistant who just entered the tent actually found it odd that the two are just standing weirdly beside each other, but she chose not to notice it.

“Y-Yes?” Chaeyeon replied. “Do you need any help?”

“Well, um, the director wants to see everyone. He says it’s something important.”

“Kay, then. We’ll head there now. Thank you.”

And the staff exited the tent.

Chaeyeon finally was able to breathe normally again. “Well, that was close.”

“She said that the director’s calling us.” Eunbi stressfully repeated, closing her laptop and organizing her works. “This better be good. I don’t want more stress.”

************

“What are you doing, people!?” The director stood up after smashing his fists against the table, making the staff and the actors quiver.

They are inside the director’s room, getting a handful of scolding right after the first episode finished editing. To tell the truth, the whole ep is… boring. One-der is awkward with Yena while the others are camera shy. Yujin and Hyewon are the social butterflies but it looks like they don’t really care about the shoot. The audio is so weak and they can’t even give a relaxed smile. In short, the episode is a mess.

“You’re friends, right? Then why does the whole show have a tense feeling to it?!” The director asked, showing clear annoyance. He expected greater from them, but they didn’t reach his standards. “Anyone?”

No one dared to answer. They just kept their heads down.

With that, he heaved a deep sigh. “Listen, everyone... This is a show. If you have problems with each other then do not show it on cam! At least be professional and keep those to yourselves!”

But with another round of silence, the director’s rage just fueled up.

“I am already telling you… If you can’t fix this, then I have to cancel the show. I can simply tell both management, One-der’s and Ms. Choi’s, that this just won’t work. No matter how much both parties are going to pay me, I won’t release something that may lower my credibility… Do not test my passion for work. Understood?”

Silence reigned again.

“Understood!?!”

“Y-Yes, Sir!” Everyone, including the staff, answered in fear.

The director then shook his head, still in dismay, and wore his black cap. “We are trashing the first episode, we’re making new today. Since we know that you won’t do anything good for each other without someone pushing you, the management team decided to let you play a game: secret friends.”

The squad raised their heads up at the mention of the game.

“Remember everything I said, okay? I’m doing my job, so everyone should, too. Let’s do our best today. Shooting starts at 10.”

And the director walked out of the room, along with the production crew, leaving the high school group all alone.

“So…” Yujin mumbled.

“... Pancakes, anyone? I’m getting hungry.”

Minju snapped her head in her girl’s direction. It’s not that it’s a bad thing to ask, it’s just that there's a thing called bad timing.

“Will you pay for it?” Hyewon asked, smirking. Her and Yujin then did a high five.

Kwangbae looked around the circle. “Is it just me and Yujin? I’m sure some of you haven’t had any breakfast yet-”

“We are not here to talk about breakfast. We’re here to fix the problem.” Chaeyeon scolded. “What are we going to do now? One wrong move and the director’s going to burn in his own flames of fury.”

“Chaeyeon, we can’t do anything about it,” Yujin replied, playing with her car keys. “ Not when someone is clearly not cooperating.”

“Yujin!” Minju stopped, but the puppy just gave an innocent look.

“What?” She said. “Did I mention someone in specific? That phrase can be for everyone. And it is not my fault if she got hit by the words-”

“Yujin, we’ve talked about this-”

“Fine!” The Ahn gave up, raising her hands. “Sorry for the honest comment, I was just driven by my extreme hunger,”

The puppy then looked at the other girls. “And I’m sure that some of you are starving, too. Welp, we still have an hour left before shooting starts. If we go now, we can still have an appetizing morning meal. So, who’s going with me?”

And Hyewon raised her hand faster than ‘The Flash’. Slowly, the hands in the air increased. Minju also raised her hand, though already keeping in her mind to talk with Yujin after this. Soon, almost all of them are going.

“Wait, Chaewon, you’re not coming?”

“Nah, we had a heavy breakfast before going here. For some odd reason, Yuri got the will to cook a decent meal.”

Yujin nodded at this.

“Alright, then… We’ll see you an hour later. Bye for now!”

And the pancake crew left for their delicious agenda. Soon enough, the only one left inside the director’s room is Chaewon, Yuri and Yena.

“Chaewon,” Yuri mumbled softly. “Can you get me a glass of water, please? I’m a bit dehydrated.”

“H-Huh? Why me?” The tiger cub concernedly asked. “Also, are you sure?”

Yuri just muttered a soft ‘yeah’, casually pushing Chaewon to follow her. Though worried, the gal decided to give in to her co-member's request.

Now, it’s just the “most powerful couple back in high school” who’s left. Noticing the tense in the air, and not being able to survive it, Yena tried to walk her way out of the room.

“Choi Yena.”

Yena is already facing her the door when she suddenly heard a call that immediately sent shivers down her spine.

It was Yuri, calling her by her full name, the first time after two years.

Slowly, the duck turned around, trying to be calm, and met eyes with the hamster who’s just trying to avoid her last week.

“Y-You called me?” Yena asked, almost in the tone of disbelief.

Yuri just stepped forward. “I’ll go straight to the point. You do know that Yujin is pertaining to you earlier, right?”

Though still having a hard time analyzing the sudden event that’s happening, Yena managed to keep her guard up.

“No, I don’t. She said that it’s for everyone-”

“Cut the crap, Yena. We both know that Yujin is her friends’ number one fan. She wouldn’t say that thing to her loved ones even if they are the worse actors. You, out of all people, should know that.”

Yuri was right, Yujin really is that type of person. Before, when the puppy and the duck were still the best comedy duo, Yujin would always protect Yena against the HyeKkura couple who’s always teasing her for being the worse gamer out of them three. She also compliments Hitomi for being a good pianist when they all know for a fact that she isn’t on the musician side.

When you’re friends with Yujin, her and her only can annoy you. That’s the kind of friendship she offers.

“So… What are you implying?”

“What I’m implying is that you are ruining our last shot, Choi,” Yuri said with so much courage it shook Yena to the core.

She has never heard her ex-girlfriend spit burning words so simply. It actually made Yena a bit speechless.

“This show,” Yuri continued. “This show is the last thing that can clear Chaewon’s name. If this gets canceled and Chaewon loses her career just because of something that happened years ago, I won’t forgive myself… But Yujin has a point. No matter how professional I can be, nothing will happen if you’re not cooperating. So, before I put everything aside, I want to offer you something. I would like to…”

Yena can hear every word, yet she can’t process it. She’s suddenly amazed at how Yuri has changed over the years of not meeting her. Her face, which she can’t see for the past weeks because she’s always looking down, is much more defined than before. She sure lost some weight, but her cheeks are still as puffy as the girl could remember. Her voice didn’t change, or if it did, it became firmer and more stable. Her height, her cute height, she wears a two-inch heel but Yena is still taller than her.

She changed a lot, and even the way she relays her thoughts are different from before.

“Are you listening?” Yuri asked in annoyance, noticing that Yena’s just looking at her.

“Y-Yes, yes, of course,” The duck replied, keeping her stoic face. “So, in general…?”

Yuri rolled her eyes. “What I’m trying to tell you is to do your best in being my secret friend.

“W-Wait… How did you know? They haven’t told us yet-”

“We’re actors, Yena, we are not here to actually play. The show was made to erase the Chaewon-Hitomi issue from the people’s minds and to promote you so you could win. For sure the couple will be a pair for the game, and if they pair us two then you’ll have more screen time because I’m the other half of One-der. In short, you know your world, and I know mine.”

Yena tilted her head a little. “… And what can I get from doing this secret friend thing right?”

Yuri bit the inside of .

Of course, she only thinks about her benefits from doing it.

“Well, I can do our group’s role in promoting you. As much as I do not want to lie to our beloved fans, we still need to do our job. So, we’re having a deal here, okay?”

Yena looked at her with suspicion and her brows met. Something is wrong, something is oddly… Wrong.

“Are you asking me this?”

Yuri chuckled.

“No…”

“… I’m demanding you to.”

And right there, Yena realized that she’s not the upper in this conversation.

“Well, I can demand you something, right?” Yuri said, walking towards the door, passing beside Yena. “Besides…”

“… You owe me something. Actually, you owe me big.”

************

“Something is off. I mean, Yuri doesn’t talk like that the last time we met. In fact, she’s avoiding me. And now, she’s asking me—no—demanding me! That makes no sense.”

“Actually,” Sakura replied, chewing her pancake take-out. “It does.”

Yena suddenly sat in front of her, ready to listen to her best friend’s explanation.

“You said that Yuri was awkward last shooting, right? Well, that was Yuri before she found out that your blossoming relationship with Juri is the actual reason why you broke up with her.”

The duck took a sharp breath, to which Kkura smiled and nod.

“I haven’t explained anything, but it already clicked, right?” She answered. “I have seen Yuri during those dark times, and I already told you these before. She blamed herself for the breakup, saying that she should have supported you and not fight it out with you.”

“And now that she’s moved on from everything, your present girlfriend suddenly shows up, telling her that you’ve been together the exact years since you and Yuri broke up? Yena, that sh*t hurts deeper that you think. Maybe that’s the reason why the sheep turned into a wolf. You hurt her… again.”

“I… I know that, okay? But I’m still a bit suspicious… Like what if following her is a bad idea? What if-”

“Really, Yena? You’re the one who’s having trust issues right now?” Sakura replied, getting a bit offended. “And at who? Yuri? The girl who literally stopped you in the middle of embarrassing Byung Soon in front of the whole world? Let me ask you that… She was your girlfriend, you know her more than I do. Do you really think she’ll do that? Besides, she’s not doing this for you, she’s doing this for the rovers and for Chaewon.”

That just made Yena feel worse, Saku-chan is right. Yuri would never think of revenge as a solution. She suddenly felt guilty at thinking of her like that.

“Also, if there is anyone who should be careful, it’s her,” Sakura added before taking another bite from the pancake.

“Miss Choi,” The conversation was interrupted when the director suddenly called from outside the tent. “Miss Choi,”

“Yes?” Yena replied, walking out of the tent.

“Ms. Choi! Well, I’m just here to inform you about the game. Apparently, you’ll be Yuri’s secret friend. That way, both of you will surely be seen on TV.” The guy said.

Then, he leaned a bit towards the duck. “But don’t tell any of your friends, okay? We tend to keep it as natural as we can. You know… Reality show.”

Oh, yes. A reality show that’s not really the reality.

“I-I see, Sir. Thank you for informing me,” Yena answered, stepping back inside.

She just stood by the entrance, startled and definitely amazed.

“Yuri is right,” She whispered.

Sakura turned to her. “Did you say anything?”

“Nothing,” The politician replied. “I’m just…”

“… Thinking of ways on how to be a good secret friend.”

************

“Lights are okay?” The director, now in front of the TV panels, asked his crew. He took one last glance at the room they’ll be shooting on. “Cameras, rolling?”

The head of the cameramen raised a ‘thumbs up’.

“And… Action!”

The girls cheerfully walked and scanned the room in which they’ll be staying for the next hours. The director gave them permission to choose their own seatmates and that is where the chaos began.

Girls in cute uniform running here and there, the “students” are everywhere the room. One of the cameras captured a video of Hyewon and Yujin trying to look lovely in front of each other. The shot then panned to Hitomi and Chaewon being so sweet like they always are.

“This seat is available, right?” Minju looked at her right and was shocked to see the tiny gal sitting beside her.

“... Nako?”

“Yeah?” The artist answered.

Minju pivoted her body towards her. “Why are you here? I mean, shouldn’t you be with Wonyoung?”

Instead of replying, the girl just pointed her beau with those plump lips. Minju followed the direction and saw the bunny, happily talking with Eunbi.

“…Been so long since I saw Kwon smile like that,” Minju mumbled, with Nako agreeing.

“So does I with Wonyoung. Being with her sister brings her a different kind of happiness. I am not that evil to keep that from her.”

The last seats were filled up fast. As they always say, the noisiest are always on the back. Yuri is one of the last people to go inside, and the only empty seats are the chairs nearest to the door.

The hamster immediately ran to the chair in front. Chaeyeon, who’s next to her, excitedly jump around.

“It’s been a long time since we last became seatmates-”

“Yena, let’s go sit here!”

That one sentence made the whole squad gawk at Yuri. Did she just invite Yena to sit beside her?

“No way…” Hyewon murmured.

“Okay, then,” Yena lazily agreed, raising an ‘okay sign’.

“… No ing way.”

Good thing the mic didn’t catch it. Hyewon was about to stand up and stop the whole show but Yujin held her by the wrist. “Yujin, let me go-”

“No, Hyewon, you’ll ruin the shot.”

“Let me go-”

“Trust me, okay? Just wait, it’ll be over soon.”

The duck went beside Chaeyeon, who’s still shocked, and gently pushed her. “Sorry, Chae.”

And the Choi threw her bag below the table and sat beside the idol.

Another round of agape mouths. They cannot believe that Yuri actually invited Yena over to her desk and Yena actually accepted it. Only two are not surprised at what’s happening. And you already know who they are.

Yep. Sakura and Yujin.

“T-That’s okay,” Chaeyeon managed to reply, stepping back and just deciding to sit beside Sakura who’s just behind them.

“Thanks, Chae,” Yuri said, smiling. She looked at Yena with teasing smirk. “Secret friend?”

And Yena just replied with a raise of shoulders.

Yujin tried her best to hide her disgust and cringe at the view she’s seeing. She doesn’t know how Yuri managed to make Yena act like that. But based on the things they’ve talked about a few days ago, she’s certain that she’ll have to see more of it.

“Wait, wait, wait… So, the plan is to befriend her, find something that may ruin her image and show it to the public?” Yujin cleared, drinking her black coffee.

Yuri nodded. “But we need to think of it step by step. To do that, we must first be close to her again.”

“Well, that’s a piece of cake,” Yujin replied. “I was born to be friendly. I can do that-”

“No… She wouldn’t believe it. You diss her all the time, she’ll be suspicious.” The hamster explained. “I… I’ll do it.”

“What? Wait, are you sure? It’s not simple being friends with Yena, you just had it the easy way before because she was the one who came to you.”

Yuri closed her eyes and nod. “Yes, yes, I am. I need to do it. And trust me, I can easily do it. I’ve known her for so long, I have memorized every single likes and dislike of that person. And I can sense that she hasn’t changed in that aspect.”

The hamster then stood up from her seat and looked outside the transparent walls of the café.

“But… I just can’t break my concept. I just can’t be nice to her all of a sudden and become friends with her, that’ll be more suspicious. I need something that may cover our lie… Something that will look like it took me by force.”

Yujin reciprocated the gesture of