“I got a mission to get a lot of backstage videos”, Nayeon says as she swings around a Twice TV camera while in the dressing room of the Soribada Awards.

The unnie’s mission is vital. Because today, August 13^th—Twice is in the same event as Kang Daniel.

The babo fans are certainly anticipating for interaction. Since Jeongyeon isn’t around as she’s resting her neck, Nayeon took it upon herself in leaving traces of where Jihyo is.

The unnie interviews the leader about what she’s been up to which, is online shopping. Nayeon pans the camera and Jihyo starts sharing, “Love this site called Today’s Home. My room’s furnishings are mostly from here.”

Jihyo is seriously still gunning to fulfill her bucket list of having her own home such that of the Little Forest. As of now, “I recently bought a table. I got a rug too. And…”

Jihyo gazes to her left where Sana is, “And I needed a place to keep tracksuits. So, I got drawers.” She goes on until her favorite item, “A pink piggy pot where the steam comes out of its nose!”

A pink item? Sana becomes curious, “What is it?”

“Don’t you know? Here!” Jihyo turns her phone enthusiastically showing Sana some photos of the pink pot.

“So cute!” Sana comments.

Jihyo herself is also leaving traces. She pans her own camera to her partner, “Sana ssi tell us what you bought recently.”

“I have an Adidas tracksuit. It’s lined with fleece.”

“Isn’t it too early for that?”

“But I like it. I’ll wear that this winter.” As long as Sana likes it, Jihyo would make a space for an off-seasoned tracksuit in her newly bought drawer.

Jihyo turns the camera to herself and also shares about clothing, “I actually wanted to shop for clothes. But I don’t have any places to go all dressed up.”

“It’s been like that. But it’s worse now with the pandemic”, Sana says from the side. Of course, Sana knows that her partner hasn’t gone anywhere; unlike what the sasaengs and Dispatch claim.

The Jjakkungs have become even more domestic. Even the extroverted Sana has recently considered muting the world out through mobile gaming; particularly, the Homescape.

Jihyo would like to talk more. But staff has called them for rehearsals. Afterwards, Twice gets dolled up for the Blue Carpet. Nayeon swings the camera again.

Through it, Jihyo is seen in front of the vanity mirror with staff doing her makeup. Chaeyoung passes by Nayeon and compliments the unnie of her camera expertise. The unnie says again, “I got a mission to film a lot.”

There’s a long enough waiting period succeeding the blue carpet. Thus, some of the girls have gone back to the dorm like the roommates Jihyo and Mina; while the others went to the JYP cafeteria.

Later when they returned, Jihyo prepares the camera and Sana gets up close to the other’s cheek. Through the camera, the Jjakkungs gaze at each other along with smiles that have tiny sounds of laughter.

Sana then greets Jihyo as if it’s morning. Sweetly, she says “Got some sleep?”

“Nope”, Jihyo answers softly as she shakes head. Upon looking at herself, she realizes she does look like she slept. So she blurts out laughing, “I didn’t sleep but I look as if I did. Right?”

Partner Sana knowing Jihyo so well even her sleep pattern, the Japanese agrees saying “Yeah like a long time.”

“I stayed up and watched TV.”

“Both of you?”

Without pause, Jihyo answers “Alone.” Sana gives a stern look to the camera. Jihyo continues “I watched TV, read webtoons on phone.”

Sana moves to the other person she was pertaining at the question ‘both of you?’ It’s Mina who had just woken up. Sana tags her along to do something quirky. Like, separating a tissue paper and sticking them on forehead.

Chaeyoung walks in and approaches Mina; bending on her side to see the latter’s face up close. Mina notices and tilts head asking what’s up. Chaeng exclaims, “I thought you were crying!”

While these three banters, Jihyo is seen passing by. When they reminisce about the Melody Project, Sana and Mina give compliment to Chaeng’s. In which Chaeng brings up, “Jihyo unnie did it too!”

“Right!” Mina remembers.

“She did a showcase”, of course Sana remembers well. Chaeng pans the camera to Jihyo who turns out to be sitting beside her.

The leader is busy watching again on her phone as it’s held in landscape. Jihyo looks up quick when she heard partner Sana talks about her. Then, nods before going back watching.

The rest of the School Meal Club, Dahyun and Tzuyu are one with the mission. Tzuyu is also swinging the camera, catching Jihyo. Evidently, the leader is nowhere near Daniel. That she’s not even texting him. Still watching on phone.

And when Jihyo found out that Sana is doing a JYP dance challenge with Momo, she yanked a camera and rushed towards them. She cares about this more than anything. More than anyone.

On Dahyun’s self-camera, Dahyun talked of how Twice’s day is going. It’s being consistent of their demonstrations.

“We came here at 9am to rehearse. Then, we did hair and makeup. At 4pm, the carpet event began. We had a break after. Now, we’re getting ready again. We’re the closing act of Part 2. So, we are queuing.”

This shot is still taken in the dressing room. It meant that they are not queuing directly along the backstage. Well in stage management protocols, the backstage should never be cramped for smoother traffic flow of the acts.

Only the next performing artist must occupy the backstage. The rest are in the dressing room, waiting to be called. The hosts’ spill becomes the gap time for entrance, exit, and calling in the next act.

Thus, although the names are close in the cue list (as in KANG DANIEL - RED VELVET - TWICE), they wouldn’t run into each other. Especially, RV Irene & Seulgi unit is between them; adding more gap time.

The girls are more at ease than they were in Asia Artist Awards, Vietnam. There’s slimmer chance to see him now as there’s no artist corner too that’s usually a walking distance to the stage.

The girls wouldn’t have to be extra professional staring blankly at the monitor when Kang Daniel would be summoned to the front. In case fate betrays Jihyo again and that slim chance would happen in the backstage, there wouldn’t be much difference.

Twice would still be extra professional. Reckon that this time, the girls would stare him down, while Sana and Jihyo have entangled arms right in front of him as they pass by.

Because the girls know how inconsiderate he is; the emotional rollercoaster he cost them whenever he caught them off-guard by his alarming messages and trending issues, consequently dragging Jihyo down.

These repeated offenses have much to say about Jihyo and Daniel supporting each other. That even such Dispatch detail is untrue.

“We’re never not sincere”, Twice has said. Holding them accountable, it meant that them never acknowledging Daniel is sincere. And the look that Jihyo gave to Sana while the latter gives speech, is also sincere.

The girls go back to the dorm right after Soribada. Nayeon starts a Vlive to complete today’s mission. Where’s Jihyo? Definitely not at Daniel’s. Jihyo is specifically located on Sana’s lap as she joins the broadcast.

While Nayeon and Momo banter about Pokemon, Jihyo wants to share about Meowth (yes, the cat pokemon) to Sana. So Jihyo turns head. With their bodies already too close, Jihyo’s lips almost touch Sana’s.

The leader is flustered that she covers quick. The Japanese finds it funny. What’s Jihyo being shy for when it isn’t the first time their lips are cm away while on broadcast?

If Jihyo could remember January 17, 2019; she’s even the one initiating.

Nonetheless, Jihyo paces the skinship to a calmer level. Arms wrap around the tummy, legs overlapping, leaning heads on each other’s neck, hands on knees, arms, inner thighs. For such intimate partners Sana and Jihyo, THIS is the calm level.

Later into the broadcast, Jihyo shares “I took a photo before I changed clothes, to upload it on Twicetagram.”

“Are you going to post it today?” Nayeon asks.

“Yup.” Jihyo must’ve been so happy that she’s feeling generous.

August 16^th—three days have gone, Jihyo ends up not posting it. She uploads a different photo and eerily captions “I didn’t like the selcas I took at Soribada so I’ll post the picture Nayeon unnie took of me during the online concert instead.”

Something happened that suddenly made Jihyo dislike the Soribada selcas. It’s the search trends the day after. As Jeong had rested, she was able to spectate and told Jihyo about it.

“Uhm, Jihyo-yah… You… kind of- put my sign beside his.”

“EH?! I HAVE NOOO IDEA”, Jihyo was brooding over this. Best friend Jeong shook head. Yet, she couldn’t call the leader idiot this time knowing Jihyo would further be saddened.

Jihyo had been practicing Jeong’s signature. So that when Twice signs the Soribada photobooth board, all nine would be there. The leader was eyeing the edges instead of the middle, since she’ll just put it as proxy.

But of course, Jihyo doesn’t even know what Kang Daniel’s signature looks like. Unfortunately for babo fans, they think it IS the couple’s interaction. They gush over Jihyo being so in love with Daniel that she signed next to his.

Jihyo’s own signature is beside Mina’s though. Jeong tried to console her about it saying “Well at least it’s not YOUR sign. If anything, this shows how much of a stranger he is to you.”

She added, “What girl would put other’s sign instead of her own, beside her BF’s? Gwaenchana, Jihyo-yah~ Since you aren’t really dating him, you didn’t know.”

But for Jihyo, it wasn’t okay. More than that, the leader also saw fan edits where Sana is replaced by Daniel in the moment of the acceptance speech; making it look like Jihyo is staring at Daniel.

She’s fuming. Her real partner Sana and the sincerity of the look she gave her are disrespected. To cope up, she sends messages on the V-chat August 18^th.

[I don’t sound like me right?]

[ah if I use ‘yong’, it sounds like Momo?]

Jihyo attempts to imitate the members chat style. She has tried Jeong’s and Momo’s. But when it comes to Sana’s, she isn’t lost.

[Sana has a special feature. Wait a minute]

[I’m looking at Instagram]

[annyeong Onceu <3 as expected, our Once is lovely 😊]

[often use baby emoticon]

Jihyo knows that she could find Sana style in Twicetagram. To a tee, without forgetting the purple heart pertaining to Sana’s officially designated color.

Come August 21^st—Jihyo includes the purple heart on her own post, sending another message. This time on Twicetagram, Sana’s standard platform. Some solo photos, some with Momo in their Hawaii schedule.

Yes, Momo. The chingu whom Sana had vacation to Hawaii with. The member whose puberty twins with Jihyo yet had matching answer when they’re to choose their favorite season.

With purple heart, Jihyo captions “The summer days I loved. To enjoy it again, let’s look out for each other and live with strength, considering each other’s health as our own. Once, I miss you TT <3”

The Japanese opens her go-to platform. In noticing the signs, she reads quietly. Sana, my love. To be happy, let’s always be together and live fully, caring for each other’s health as our own. See you soon <3

August 22^nd—Sana, Jihyo, and Jeongyeon are about to film Twice TV ‘Home gardening’ episode. While on standby, Jeong turns the Vlive on secretly.

She puts her index over her lips as if shushing. Then sneakily, pans the camera to the Jjakkungs. Sooner, Jeong reveals it surprising Jihyo for a bit. The leader then restarts the Live on its plus channel.

If the babo fans’ logic is to assume on things out of thin air then, what Jihyo has to do is make themselves go exclusive. Only a few has the smarts to see and understand their sincerity anyway.

“Leader-nim! Leader-nim!” leader Jihyo’s camera is focused on Sana while calling the Japanese in a cute way. Indeed, a never-before-seen content. “Please show some aegyo, leader-nim! …Please wink, leader-nim!”

“I can’t do things like that”, Sana says.

“What happens when Sana becomes the leader is,” the Japanese then shoots the leader a look while saying “make people who aren’t leaders do personal things for me.”

“Then today’s youngest will learn from this. I’ll learn from this very well!” Jihyo smiles and squeezes in to Sana, now together facing the camera.

These two never hid the fact that they are each other’s Jjakkung. But the things that Sana made Jihyo do, the things that Jihyo learned well from Sana—are theirs to keep. Hence, those have since remained personal.

If there’s such thing as a secret that’s out in the open, this must be it.

Many have remained babo, merely following the public knowledge instead. For they believe the companies more than TWICE themselves. Fans turning a blind eye, is them letting the companies pull off a perfect crime.

Such is the making of a secret best-kept.