[A/N]

WOW.

I hope y’all enjoy this long chapter!!! This took forever to complete. I was originally going to complete this back in January but life happened. It was 90% done by then but something in me told me that I have to tweak a couple more things before releasing this. And I finally got around to finishing this chapter up!

I'll try and conclude this saga as soon as possible, or would you guys like random TWICE interactions/drabble in between these, long, arduous, and detailed part chapters?

Please let me know in the comments.

I’ll see y’all in the next chapter.

Let’s get it.

Now left to their own devices, it was awkward, like reallllllllllly awkward.

With everyone gone, Jieun and Red Velvet were left in the recording studio all by themselves. The SM girl group was situated on the couch while Jieun vacated to a nearby office chair due to having no space left on the sofa.

Now they were awkwardly facing each other, with not one word spoken when their collective seniors had left.

The two parties were lost in their thoughts, with both groups trying to find a way to get rid of this awkwardness looming over them. The tension was so palpable that they could almost taste it, and it was thick enough that they could smoothly slice through it successfully with a dull edge of a butter knife.

If a pen dropped, everyone could definitely hear it clearly in the vicinity.

They haven't really got started on anything yet, but how could you blame them?

One of the many reasons the RV members felt uncomfortable with their guest of honor was their age differences. With Irene almost a decade apart from their guest and the latter being the youngest out of all of them, it created an unspoken barrier that still needed to be crossed and dealt with.

Not to mention how the girls were notoriously awkward around strangers, and additionally, they were unquestionably bashful that their admired Midol for so long was in the same room as them and has caught them simping hard on her hard this morning, which they tried to shove desperately back into the recesses of their minds, collectively.

They were unmistakably shell-shocked and mortified meeting her so early in the day when they were supposed to meet later, after their supposed chill brunch. And they couldn't stop clutching their pearls, worrying and talking about it glumly throughout the entire day once they brought their much-loved hoobae to her destination. Talking about "missed opportunities" of making a great impression on the girl.

Another reason for their reluctance to speak first was Jieuns' mere presence has made them second guess and overthought everything they did.

It left them nervous to say the wrong thing or make an even worse impression on the girl with her accolades and accomplishments. Her general aura is that requires immense respect and an high regard, placed unscrupulously under her carefree personality, making them think that she is downright and lowkey calculating and detailed, actually, and it made them terrified of the younger woman.

If they didn't know about her achievements, then they would assume that the woman in front of them is just an easygoing and nonchalant person, (a gorgeous one at that).

Of course, Red Velvet knew who the Nation's Girlfriend and the Nation's Ideal Type was.

Who didn't?

Shim Jieun: every idol's dream of being and wanting to be; and the object of their adoration.

The Unattainable Idol, the Skilled All-Rounded Talent, the Undeniable Charismatic Captain, the Hidden Treasure of JYP, and a whole onslaught of other nicknames that she is famously known for that everyone wants and aims to be like.

Shim Jieun is the genius and ace of all at such a young age, with countless awards and accolades under her belt.

While keeping a fun, dorky personality, that you can't help but love.

They still couldn't believe that they were in the same room with such a gifted and talented artist, especially one of a high caliber as Jieun, and to be actually working and collaborating with her!?

It was like a dream come true for the members.

Much more could've been said that the Red Velvet members thought of Shim Jieun in such high regard, but that would take hours to talk (and write) about. 

They caught glimpses of TWICE's Second-in-Command from time to time at award shows in the past, or when their schedules somehow lined up together by the graces of some higher or lower being, but they have never gotten a chance to actually hold a decent conversation with her, especially with her members and staff surrounding her nonstop, enveloping her in a physical wall that no outsiders can bypass.

There were instances of people trying to undertake the challenge of getting to the idol. Be it senior, junior, or rookie, but they were shoved away immediately at a moment's notice.

Maybe with her as their Director, they can finally get the perfect opportunity to grow closer. Spending weeks and possibly months with their mutual waifu made them want to celebrate and thank the gods above or demons below for hearing their blessings.

While this collective thought was roaming in the members thoughts, Jieun on the other hand, was replaying how she first met the idol group.

Their first interaction with each other hit her like a freight train every time she even glances at the fabled girl group, and it was plaguing her mind relentlessly like a song on repeat.

All she wanted to do was bury herself in a ditch and rot there until she was reduced to nothing and became one with the earth. She can literally feel herself dying of embarrassment right now.

She felt her head, body, and face burn again in agony from being such a ditz for not noticing her surroundings.

She just wanted to sulk in her room while complaining about how life was unfair, seeing how their first impressions of each other were as unfavorable as they could've been in the worst possible type of way.

Quite frankly, the anticipation, excitement, and expectation she was feeling grew even higher with every passing second. It felt like she was on a rollercoaster, from the initial ride to weaving up and down, side to side in quick whiplashes in swift motions that made her feel quite nauseous and the butterflies in her stomach kept fluttering.

She tried to breathe quietly and quell the emerging emotions exploding from within her, but all was for naught. 

The same could be clearly said to everyone else in the room as they mimicked each other, unbeknownst to everyone.

Glancing at the group, Jieun could see that the girls were off in their own worlds, with a glazed look that screams they couldn't believe that this was happening, which she couldn't agree more with.

Jieun blinked quickly, not entirely sure if the situation was actually real life or if it was some sort of fever dream, creating hallucinations perhaps conjured up by her already exhausted mind. But, there remained a clarity to everything that even the most highly detailed dream had lacked, even in a sleep-filled haze.

As such, she could only conclude that it was, in fact, reality.

As much she would like to think otherwise.

Not that it was a surprise.

After confirming that this was indeed real life, Jieun's mind wandered onto the next objective and overall end goal of this collaboration.

Knowing who this project was for was even more nerve-wracking to do now.

She needed to bring her A game for this, especially for the group she deeply admired that's only a few feet away from her.

She's still trying to grasp the gravity of the situation she was in, actually, and being alone with her fabled group wasn't helping at all.

Not only is she making a whole freaking album, but it's with her favorite group of all time! And with that, the opportunity to direct the next comeback and have complete creative control over everything!

This is the starting point to jump-start her career as a creative director for future projects and as a way to get into the iconic SM Songwriting Camp as well if she does well.

This is an opportunity that she needs.

She needed a moment or two to take this all in.

But unfortunately, she didn't have that luxury.

In no way is she having a mental breakdown in her head, feeling the pressure slowly build up within her, adding to the already existing expectations when the others found out about her secret project.

In no way is she this close to having a panic attack.

There's no way her mind is just getting rekted by taking unassuming glances at the senior group who was following in her stead.

There's no way her body was reacting and relishing in the fact that they smell way too good for her liking and look even better in person. There's no WAyYYyyY.

Jieun tried her best to control her emotions (i.e. her hormones) and go back to her nonchalant, carefree persona she's famously known for, but all of it went down the gutter.

'Chill Jieun, chill. They're just regular people who are talented, and have spectacular music as well. They're just gorgeous regular people you know, rELaX. The fangirling can wait. Probably. Hopefully. OH MAH GAWDDDDD.'

Welp. That was worthless.

She really needed to calm down and take a chill pill.

But it was utterly unavoidable.

She needs to face the choir eventually. Jieun knows that.

She's gotta be bold, but her body is not responding to any of her commands.

Why can't she move and say anything!? It was as if her rampaging heart was screaming "IM NOT READY" to her, and that's making her entire body stiff up in a rigor-mortis type of style, every slight movement she does feel like she's been running a marathon leaving her breathless.

For. No. Reason. At. All.

"So Jieun-ssi, who's your bias?" "What are your hobbies?" A few members blurted out, trying to break the ice between them, separating the young woman out of her erratic thoughts.

Jieun swiveled a bit in her chair, distracted by the internal struggle in her head and preventing herself from hyperventilating that she almost forgot the fact that she was sitting next to her idol group.

She gave a clueless look to them. Confusion was etched onto her face while she tilted her head, still lost on what to do or what they had said, with the expression of a lost puppy look marred on her features.

Finally, after a while, she faced one of the members who spoke and responded slowly, controlling the nervousness in her voice.

"Ummm, you can call me casually, sunbaenim. I'm not really into formalities. And to answer your other question, Seulgi-sunbaenim, not much. I'm a really boring person," she responded blandly, trying to sound casual while she tried to ease her nerves for a moment.

Nonetheless, the dubbed Teddy Bear of the group ignored the awkwardness and dorkily smiled back at her with her signature eye smile, having her nose scrunched in agreement, giving the receiver a heart attack. "Call! But you gotta call me Seulgi-unnie, kay?" The Gomdori grinned, turning her eyes into beautiful crescent moon shapes, making Jieun stumble in her thought process once again and trying not to gape too much at the beautiful sight before her.

That dazzling smile of hers had an adverse effect on Jieun, and it made her heart beat wildly in retaliation.

This woman in front of her was dangerous, unbeknownst to anyone but her.

She was scared-downright terrified, but the other part of her loved every minute of it and craved for it.

She was rendered speechless with how pretty the '94-liner's eyes were that she almost got lost in the deep shade of honey brown it possessed like it was pulling her towards the monolidded woman.

Was it just her, or was it scorching in the room? She felt like she went through hours of singing and dance lessons that would have her sweating buckets.

She had to fan her face and look away from the adorable sight.

Somehow, by the grace of a God, Jieun returned the smile as well, not wholly mirroring Seulgi's bright grin, but something vaguely similar to not look rude nor cold to her admired sunbae.

A small, yet warm smile had spread across her face that nearly brightened up the room.

She gave a slight nod in return to the woman waiting patiently for more details to her answer, giving the brain-dead girl a look of wonder and patience.

"And the rest of us too!" Yeri exclaimed, breaking Jieun out of her haze-filled mind, receiving head nods from the others in agreement and restrained enthusiasm.

Jieun nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay...unnies," she anxiously announced, revealing her natural charm and shy cuteness that was all too much for the other occupants in the room.

*Squeal*

""OH MY GOD, SHE'S SO CUTE!"" The Hits' Maker got the shock of her life when they exclaimed that statement in sync with each other to varying degrees. Some members were quite loud when they announced the declaration as a fact, to some leaping up from their position and squeezing the living daylights out of the multi-talented idol who tried her best to replicate a stone-faced statue.

All she could see was a whirlwind of black and the hot feeling returned, enveloping all around her and strong scents penetrating her nose. Her eyes were as wide as saucers from the surprise and discomfort of having soft, yet healthy bodies squishing her.

Though she wouldn't be complaining about it anytime soon.

Trying to get rid of the embarrassment, Jieun blinked in bemusement before shaking her head and returning to the Seulgi's initial question, ignoring the bodies engulfing her and faced the still seated Dancer, elaborating on her answer from before. "To get back to your question Seulgi-unnie, I have a ton of hobbies, but I would say that the main idea is expressing myself through a medium or destressing myself. It could be through creating music, choreographies, or something like dressing myself up when words tend to fail me. Or maybe just taking a breather by listening to music, or exercising can really take your mind off things..." She softly muttered, trying to stay neutral with the bodies roaming all over her.

On the other hand, Kang Seulgi felt like she was on cloud nine.

Hearing her goddess say her name not once but twice with that velvety, smooth voice of hers was so amazingly pleasurable.

The Main(?) Vocalist wished that she had recorded it. 

She wouldn't mind hearing her voice forever, preferably when she wakes up first thing in the morning and the last thing before she goes to bed.

She felt like she had just won the lottery, with a stupidly, large bright grin never leaving her face, having been satisfied by her answer.

She hummed in approval before making herself comfortable on the sectional couch she was situated in while she flirtatiously winked at Jieun, leaning back slightly to relax her body onto the cushions of the sofa which formed around her body, groaning at its softness.

She really wanted to go up there as well, just to at least cop of feel of her favorite girl, but some other members already beat her to the punch.

She'll have her turn sooner or later.

Another member pushed further on in the conversation to get to know the guest some more.

"What about besides the musical stuff? What do you like to do in your free time?" The dirty brunette of Red Velvet, the maknae, Kim Yeri, gushed from her standing position, ready to make her move.

"I don't really do much aside from that," Jieun rubbed her nape in an attempt to drag out the conversation, though it was restrained by a curvaceous body next to her, "It's mostly school, work, or music-making, though I always have trouble with lyrics." Jieun offhandedly mentions that while she tries to think of a more reasonable answer, Wendy and Yeri's ears did perk up from that small comment.

She continued babbling before they could say something, "Maybe watching videos? I do like to cook, and I've always been interested in clothes, sneakers, and finding artistic aesthetics, whether it be in pictures, architecture, lighting, or design... Oh, as you heard from Girls' Generation-sunbaenims, I used to do some volunteer work as well." Jieun said with an uncertain tone in her voice while she looked anywhere but in their vicinity.

She found her sight blocked when she unknowingly met with an inviting pair of coffee-colored eyes that locked her in. With barely anything keeping them apart in the rather intimate closeness that both of them are experiencing, "What about outside of work?" Joy, the tall, recently dyed midnight-haired beauty and second youngest in the SM group, asked, eager to know the guest girl group member she was proudly on top of.

Joy seated herself on Jieun's lap as she was the first one who sprung into action and hug the bejesus out of her, with her hands roped around her neck to prevent herself from falling.

Park Sooyoung looked even more mature, sophisticated, and somewhat y now compared to how she was in the group's latest comeback when she donned that dark, ruby red hairstyle that made her look too cute.

Now, she sports a now ebony to midnight black hairstyle and wore a skin-tight dress that accentuated everything and left nothing for Jieuns' imagination as it showed all her curves and figure.

She had to gulp and stop her eyes from roaming just about anywhere.

And with her situated on her lap, twisting her legs in a way to modestly cover up her private areas, but as a result of that, it has risen up her dress to show off Sooyoung's stunning and to-die-for legs that was too much for Jieun's poor heart to handle.

This suggestive position was picturesque in a way as it showed off a babygirl asking her sugar daddy what she wanted and doing whatever it took to get it.

The sight was an eye-candy explosion for just about anyone viewing. 

Wait, why'd her mind go there?!

She really needs to stop hanging out with her unnies, especially the dirty-minded members.

Jieun almost got lost in the pure, fair, milky white skin that was Park Sooyoung until she felt a sharp pain from her side.

To her surprise, next to her was an adorable sight of a pouting Bae Joohyun, who was tugging on the fabric of her shirt and giving her a 'hmph' in return when she finally got her attention. When she did, she gave her a beautiful smile that Jieun couldn't help but get lost in.

Joohyun wasn't as fast as Sooyoung into glomping the seated girl, and all she could as second place was to her wounds while looking at the sight with burning jealousy.

Then, the ravenette somehow s herself between the two when they were momentarily destracted and undid Sooyoung's tight grip on Jieun's neck, and subtlety pushed Sooyoung off of Jieun with a yelp coming from the now fallen woman, immediately taking her rightful place on her wifey's lap, giving her head a soft embrace with her body.

"Owwww unnie~ Why'd you do that!" Sooyoung whined while she rubbed her tender that took the brunt of the fall.

"You deserved it." She stated, giving her a blank stare down, virtually hiding almost nothing within her face.

'Mine.' She heatedly thought of it in a possessive passion and unlocked her burning fury and tightened her embrace around the object of her adoration.

She almost snapped several times, seeing how her lover got lost in her members' entrapment several times.

When they're together officially, she'll have to teach her to resist those womanly charms, she fiercely thought.

Jieun responds with an unsure face, giving Sooyoung an apologetic and worried glance, "Are you okay, Joy-unnie?" She wanted to get up to check on her, but the iron grip of Bae Joohyun was preventing her from getting out of her seat.

When Sooyoung heard how worried Jieun was for her sake, she started doing the most.

She utilized every tactic she had in her acting arsenal to get Jieun tending and caring for her, making her react immediately, "urgh, I think I need to get this checked…" she gave Jieun a watery smile with hidden pain and soreness, which left Jieun more worried than ever from her position.

"Nah, she's fine, don't worry about her, bab-Jieun-ah." Irene firmly announced to everyone after her tiny blunder and returned her attention to the girl she's now on the lap of, caressing her cheeks with hers after giving the downed girl a glare, promptly ignoring her when she pouted to give a soft gaze to her baby.

"Tch."

And with that, Jieun continued the unanswered question, with Joohyun giving her enough breathing room to speak.

Although, now her face was situated in between the crevice of her neck, which made her tremble with goosebumps and her knees go weak, and a bright blush on her face.

"W-when I have free time and need a stress reliever, I like to wander around the city, exploring new stores and restaurants that I have never been to before, and try new things with nothing but myself and some earbuds on. Being alone and just emptying out my mind and not focusing on a task is therapeutic to me, though I often get lost when I'm by myself as you guys saw earlier today," Jieun muttered that last past humiliatingly received some chuckles and giggles at her expense.

"Aren't you afraid of getting caught or getting taken by "fans" to do some dark things?" Wendy questioned, worried for her hoobae's safety.

"Not really, I'm not that recognizable when I'm off stage, but I do take the proper precautions like wearing sunglasses, masks, and hats while wearing bland outfits. And I've taken some self-defense classes when I was a trainee to prepare for the worst," Jieun confidently answered, knowing there haven't been any instances so far with her random trips by herself.

'Wellllllll….' They all collectively sweatdrop since they immediately recognized her when she randomly came to their room unbeknownst to them.

Shim Jieun has this aura and charisma around her that captures all their attention off and on the stage. Even when she's not front and center of the cameras, all their focus slowly goes to her even when she's not even trying or attempting to be lowkey.

Although, hearing her responses piqued the girls' interest.

"Can you teach me Jieun-ah?! I would love to learn how to make beats and the intricacies of it all." Wendy sports a tender smile towards the girl. "And songwriting!" Yeri added, bouncing up and down like a hyperactive child, both with sparkles in their eyes once they grasp onto her hands, kneeling in front of her, going back to earlier topic in the conversation.

How were they older than her? Jieun wondered while she looked away uneasily from the pure, unadulterated focus the two gave to her, splashed with a bit of hope to it.

She tried looking away from those inviting eyes when another member spoke.

"Can you help me with my styling too, Jieun-ah? Maybe unnie can treat you to something after?" Getting out of her daydream. Seulgi innocently said while she lowkey asked her out.

Jieun couldn't resist the woman's charm and returned with a shy nod.

"You can help me with my upcoming dramas!" Joy randomly shouted, gathering everyone's attention, gaining weird, funny looks from her members. She just wanted to spend time with the youngest as well. "O-or go to animal shelters together!" she shyly proclaimed, forgetting to include that as well.

"And I can use a hand when it comes to cooking and recipes or help whip these rascals into shape. Maybe a lesson or two of self-defense can help us all," the Bae Goddess winked at her when she released her head from her position. Jieun can feel her heartbeat rummaging in her ribcage once again from seeing the endearing look she was given.

These girls are going to be the death of her.

That's for sure.

"S-so, let's play a game so that we can get more comfortable with one another! I-is that okay with you, J-J-Jieun-ah?" Joy jittery announced, getting rid of the confident persona she once exuded earlier.

"...What game do you have in mind, Sooyoung-unnie?" Jieun softly questioned the woman standing up from her position on the coach. She wondered when she turned to her, trying not to gush at how cute her unnie was being.

But, unfortunately, her playful personality is trying its best to come out of the woodworks and tease the ever-living crap out of the usually confident and bubbly woman. It was difficult to stop herself from doing it, but out of sheer respect for her senior, she will try to fight it and save her from the embarrassment, especially since this is only the first meeting and she's a sunbae that she respected.

So she'll let it go, for now.

But if Sooyoung keeps it up, she's going to have to destroy the Satan child viciously.

She couldn't help it.

Speaking of games, Jieun honestly couldn't care less about them. With herself, Momo, and Chaeyoung being the least competitive of their group, they didn't really care about winning but rather enjoyed the 'journey,' per se.

But, be it as it may, they would usually end in the last place and take all the punishments for the day, much to their grievance.

Contrastly, the member's curiosity heightened because of this statement. A game? The Red Velvet members were particularly fond of games, most notably when they bent the rules to win, but still.

Bae Joohyun was bubbling with excitement, and she was trying her damndest to cover up her slight smirk and depraved giggles, even after she became a depressed crybaby after having left her wifeys' lap. While Sooyoung continued being a cute, babbling mess that she was waving her handing everywhere in show of being theatrical, while Yerim didn't hide it all, sporting a shameless grin on her face, with Seungwan having an affectionate smile permanently etched on her face, and finally Seulgi was off in her own world at the moment.

"Maybe we can do TMI Hot Seat? You know, to get to know each other better and whatnot. We can ask whatever we want and what we are comfortable with," Yerim eloquently suggested one of her favorite games. She flipped her hair off her forehead and behind her ear while looking at the TWICE maknae in confidence.

Yerim hoped that Jieun would agree, especially since she is such a Jieun bias.

Yeah, she's familiar with the TWICE members, she even had their oldest member guest on her YouTube show.

But there's something special about the woman in front of her. There's not much known about the mysterious girl sitting in front of her since she is so busy doing other activities and deflecting any personal questions targeted towards her.

Yerim wanted to seize the opportunity to learn more about the reclusive member not only as an idol she admires but also as a person.

However, she hoped that she didn't sound too eager when she suggested it, Yerim self-consciously thought, feeling more nervous than when she debuted in the group's comeback or in her first acting career or MC jobs outside of her member activities. The slightly older woman tries vain to keep the eagerness from showing too obsviously in her tone, but ultimately fails.

She was absolutely dying to know more about the goregeous woman.

After thinking about it for a few moments, Jieun nodded her head, letting Yerim release the breath she was unconsciously holding.

The others nevertheless agreed swiftly, following after her.

""BET!""

""CALL!!""

The game was now set.

The game was essentially Hot Seat, where a person is put on the seat and would answer the questions to the best of their abilities within a time limit. With it being TMI, the participants can ask personal questions, but the person in the hot seat has the right to pass over questions that they are uncomfortable with answering, and only stopping when the questions stop, since they are going to be working closely together in the future.

However, it does bring in the fun aspect of getting to know one another and breaking the ice, so to say, depending on the question that's asked.

As she suggested the game, the first one starting will be none other than the British-Korean member Katy Kim or Kim Yerim.

Her hot seat started off with some basic questions; Her favorite Ariana Grande song, how she felt about her idol following her on Instagram, being included in Red Velvet when they were already having a comeback, and even what she liked and didn't like about a particular member, going to each individual person and saying one good and more importantly one bad thing each of them.

Funnily enough, Yerim struggled to find one good thing to say about each member and immediately said bad things about each member at the top of her dome, knowing that this was a lowkey tactic to belittle the other members in Jieun's eye.

But when it came to Jieun, all Yerim had was countless praises which everyone booed at. Jieun was flattered but was convinced that she was just being friendly and polite since they had just met.

Things got even spicier when Sooyoung asked more probing questions like if she still liked Eric from one of their reality show trips. Leading to a shouting match and the iconic chaos that the girl group is known for, with Yerim on the floor and Sooyoung on top of her, tussling it out and screaming at each other's throats which was a hilarious sight to see and Jieun was amused by the Demon Duo, especially with Yerim, and her witty remarks and clap backs reinforce the uncanny resemblance the Red Velvet Maknae had to a specific Taiwanese member of her group.

Jieun thought she noticed that Yerim paid particular attention to her when she asked a question, probably as a sign of curiosity or waiting in expectation for her answer?

Maybe she was thinking way too much about it, Jieun concluded.

Moreover, she was surprised by how Yerim was included in Red Velvet. She always assumed why but hearing it for herself only reinforces and confirms what she always thought, kind of resembling how Momo and Tzuyu both came back due to PD-nim's recommendation at the conclusion of EIGHTEEN to a degree.

Other than that, Yerim was interested in learning more English, as the u