[CONTENTID1]Aftermath[/CONTENTID1]

 [CONTENTID2]Chapter VIII [/CONTENTID2]

 [CONTENTID3]

         The three-hour-long preparation and event finally finished high and strong, and Mino, exhausted from wardrobe changes, running around backstage, and hosting, finds himself in front of Red Velvet's dressing room with a carefully held piece of paper. He was about to knock when the door opens right before him, with the whole team, staff members, the girls – everyone, looking at him.

         "I uh – sorry, wrong dressing room!" He sputters the words, making Joy and Wendy giggle. Who was he lying to? Everyone knows why he was there. With Seulgi's help, letting the others leave to give the dance partners some space, Mino was left facing Irene and those laser-glaring eyes from her managers behind his back. He rubs his nape sheepishly and hands the folded paper. "A thank you for hearing me practice my hosting skills every lunch break."

         Irene unfolds the paper and finds a caricature drawing of the two of them with their last pose, with the same costumes that they wore on the stage. "When did you even get to make this? It's so spot-on," she fondly muses as she traces the number 43 on her drawn version and the thick eyebrows of the 2D Song Mino.

         "During other performances, when we were just sitting with the rest and I finally squeezed out my emcee nerves." 

         "I love it. Thank you." Her front teeth sink to the bottom of her lower lip as she studies the details of his well-drawn art. In the paper, she's moving