Ryujin headed to the bedroom with a nervous pace. She quickly gathered her things together with Yeji and they both went to the apartment-bedroom they had been taken from. It was still the same as the last time they were there.

Yuna, Jisu and Chaeryeong were already there when Ryujin and Yeji arrived.

They were sitting on the couches, and their conversation was interrupted when Ryujin and Yeji appeared.

Yuna stood up and took Ryujin's hand. Looking at the others, she said:

“Can I have an hour or so with Ryujin-unnie? I promise we'll talk about whatever you want afterwards.”

Ryujin looked at her friends with pleading eyes.

“One hour,” Yeji said, and the rest nodded.

Yuna pulled Ryujin's hand to Ryujin's room. She went in first, and Ryujin took care of closing the door.

Yuna's lips crashed against hers as soon as she turned around. Ryujin opened her eyes wide and gasped in surprise. Yuna pressed her against the door and snuggled up to her, still kissing her.

“Two months without kissing her,” Ryujin thought. The thought was like a switch for her needs.

She wrapped around Yuna's mouth, grabbing her hips and pulling her as tight against her as possible. Yuna grabbed her by the hair and made her throw her head back, which Ryujin allowed without protest. It didn't hurt: Yuna was gentle.

Their tongues fiddled with each other until they both ran out of air. They parted, looking into each other's eyes. Yuna's gaze was dangerous and y.

She grabbed Ryujin's legs and lifted her up. Ryujin let out a little cry of surprise and wrapped her legs around Yuna's hips and her arms around Yuna's neck. She was surprised that Yuna could carry her.

Yuna started kissing her neck. Ryujin stretched it and sighed in pleasure, nuzzling the nape of Yuna's neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin as Yuna wandered the tip of her tongue over the spot, leaving a wet trail behind her.

Yuna gently bit into her flesh, causing Ryujin to moan audibly.

“Quiet, unnie,” Yuna said. “Remember they're in the living room.”

“Then we shouldn't do it now,” Ryujin gasped, not really wanting Yuna to stop.

Yuna grunted and walked, with Ryujin still carrying her, to the table in the room.

“It's going to break if you put me there,” Ryujin warned with a chuckle.

“Damn it!”

“My god,” Ryujin thought. She was getting aroused. Yuna had not shown this dominance before, though they had had few encounters of this nature.

Yuna posed her on her bed, positioning herself on top of Ryujin as she kissed her collarbone. Ryujin had her imprisoned with her legs wrapped around her waist and her hands running down the sides of Yuna's abdomen.

“We can't do anything with them in the living room,” Ryujin said.

Yuna stopped all her movements.

“I know. I'm not even sure I want to do it. I just…” Yuna raised her face to Ryujin's. “I just want to make sure you're here.”

Everything enveloped Ryujin all at once: she had been about to be dismissed forever from ITZY. That would have been horrible, dantesque and a disaster on so many levels.

Ryujin closed her eyes and massaged her forehead.

“Do you have a headache?” Yuna asked worriedly.

“No, I'm just thinking about how ed up the situation is,” Ryujin said opening her eyes and looking at her. “Two months of …”

“Hey, no swearing,” Yuna said with a smile. She turned serious again. “Yes, you're right. I hope they leave us alone this time.”

“Yeah… I hope so too.”

Yuna wrapped her in a tight hug, sinking her face into the hollow of Ryujin's neck.

“I missed you so much,” Yuna said into her neck, making Ryujin's flesh tingle. “Two months full of fear and stress…”

“I know,” Ryujin said as she her hair. “I know, but I'm already here with you. Let's relax.”

Yuna let out a hum of assent. They just hugged each other tightly. Ryujin drained some of her fear and anxiety in the embrace. She let the warmth of Yuna's body carry them away.

“I love you, Yuna.”

“I love you, Ryujin.”

That phrase always cheered Ryujin up. It was something that never failed to give her strength, and she hoped it did for her girlfriend as well.

“Yeji-unnie told us an hour, but the sooner we all talk, the better,” Yuna said.

“Certainly.”

Ryujin didn't want to undo the hug. Not yet. She was thinking about it when she felt Yuna's lips on her neck, kissing it. Ryujin moaned in pleasure and then let out a squeal of surprise when Yuna the skin hard.

“Yuna!”

Yuna peeled her lips away with a resounding pop and burst out laughing as she pulled away from her.

“A hickey? Really?”

“It won't be noticed,” Yuna said in a cheerful voice.

“But it was heard in Peru!” Ryujin sat on the bed as Yuna swayed back and forth in front of her, hands clasped behind her back.

“Ah, well, good thing we're not getting out of here any time soon,” she said, looking at her with disinterested eyes.

Ryujin pulled her middle finger out, earning a muffled groan of horror from Yuna.

“I'll have to put on makeup anyway,” Ryujin muttered as she got up from the bed. “I wouldn't bear for Yeji, Jisu or Chaeryeong to stare at it without saying anything.”

“You pulled out your middle finger to me...!”

“Be thankful I didn't drag you to the bathroom to pluck your eyebrows, you dummy.”

 

---

 

After the shock passed, one of the first things Ryujin did was to call her parents. She apologized for not being able to tell them what was going on, and then told them everything. She told them that she and Yuna were a couple, and that she was sorry she had kept it from them. She kept the details she wanted to keep to herself, such as Ryujin's initial confession, their breakup and reconciliation in Gangwon. Ryujin was relieved when her parents told her that they understood she had to keep it a secret.

“It was your job on the line, honey, so we can understand,” Ryujin's mother said.

“Thank you,” Ryujin said, “really thank you for understanding me.”

“We're here to support you,” her mother's voice was soft and comforting. “But, Ryujin, you have to invite her to dinner so we can get to know her better,” her mother said through the phone, and in the background, there was a “That's right!” from Ryujin's father.

Ryujin let out a laugh.

“I certainly will”

 

---

 

They were still forbidden to go out, and Ryujin guessed it would be while the waters calmed down. The company was quick to issue a statement, denying the accusations made against Ryujin and confirming that she and Yuna were a couple, and that they respected their relationship. Ryujin had faith that those people who had believed she had been able to take advantage of Yuna would change their stance upon seeing JYP's official statement and the one she herself had posted on Instagram.

She spent the first two weeks locked in the dormitory next to Yuna. They were never separated at any time. Ryujin had the feeling of fear still fresh in her mind. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare, which was almost always the same: she would get kicked out of the group and, not content with that, they would kick Yuna out and end up disbanding ITZY. Luckily, Yuna was by her side when it happened. They slept together, something they both insisted on until Yeji told them that, since they already knew everything, they could do it.

“But I don't want to hear weird noises at night,” Yeji said with flushed cheeks.

Ryujin had to bite her tongue to avoid telling her that she would do that kind of thing when she was alone with Yuna.

They were able to spend entire evenings cuddling on the couch, without a word. Yuna was like her shadow, and Ryujin was like Yuna's shadow. They would go together to the cafeteria, to the rooftop or to the practice room.

Their manager had warned them when they returned to the apartment that there was still a chance Ryujin would be kicked out, and the five of them lived with that fear very much in mind for the first week. The worst was when the Dispatch article, which had not been removed by then, was updated again with an audio of Ryujin and Yuna. Ryujin feared the seconds before listening to it that it contained some kind of controversial information, one that even she wasn't aware of. She almost burst out laughing when she heard the audio: they had recorded her conversation with Yuna at the lookout point.

“What bastards,” Ryujin let out an indignant laugh. “Sons of es!”

“Ryujin, please watch your mouth,” Yeji said, scowling at her.

As the company released the official statement, Ryujin allowed herself to believe that it was all over. Yeji, with discomfort, told her members that she didn't know when they would have a comeback.

“Not soon, most likely,” she had said. “Division 2 will want to make sure people calm down first.”

Ryujin prayed with all her might that the sales of their next album would not be sabotaged by disgruntled fans. She was sure that there would still be people who believed that she was some kind of manipulator who had played with Yuna's mind, and it hurt her that those people would label her as a degenerate or a monster.

“I can't do anything against that,” she thought. Besides, Ryujin of course knew that Yuna really loved her. If people were blind and didn't want to see it, nothing could be done but ignore them.

 

---

 

Yeji, Jisu and Chaeryeong were distant for the first few days. Ryujin didn’t blame them. After all, it was her and Yuna's fault that they had to go through all that. If they hadn't had outside help, Ryujin wouldn't be in the dorm right now.

Ryujin called what had happened with her sunbaes “outside help”. First, and what Ryujin considered the cornerstone of her salvation, the actions of her TWICE sunbaes. Nayeon and her group had been seen going to the office of J.Y. Park one day in the first week of March, and they seemed to be upset with him for some reason. They were locked in Park's office for a while with him inside, talking about something that no one knew about, not even ITZY's manager. However, Nayeon sent Ryujin a message two days after she was told that she would not be kicked out of their group.

Nayeon-sunbaenim: “I'm so happy that everything went well, Ryujin-ah”

Ryujin scratched her head in confusion when she saw the message.

Ryujin: “Hello, sunbaenim”

Ryujin: “I'm relieved to be able to continue my work”

Ryujin: “Thank you for writing to me”

Nayeon-sunbaenim: “Don't worry, Ryujin-ah hihi”

The cryptic conversation was going around Ryujin's head for a few days, until one day she ran into Nayeon herself coming out of a recording studio.

“Ah, Ryujin!” Nayeon greeted her with a smile.

“Nayeon-sunbaenim, how are you?” Ryujin bowed in respect.

“Oh, I just finished recording a cover.”

“I'll listen to it as soon as it comes out,” Ryujin promised. Curiosity got the better of her: “Nayeon-sunbae, did you have anything to do with me still being here?”

Nayeon's smile disappeared as her eyes widened in what seemed like surprise to Ryujin.

“You're very subtle, Shin,” Ryujin thought. Yuna would surely have elbowed her for her tactlessness.

“Ehm…,” Nayeon muttered. She let out an exhalation and raised her hands in defeat. “You're perceptive,” she gestured into the study. “Come, let's talk away from possible prying ears.”

Ryujin passed by and sat down on the small sofa in the study. Nayeon glanced down both sides of the hallway before closing the door and sitting in a swivel chair.

“Well, Ryujin-ah,” Nayeon began. “My group and I had a... little chat with J. Y. Park, as I'm sure you've heard people talk about around the building.”

Ryujin nodded, remembering the whispers.

“Well, we went to talk to him about your situation and your couple's,” Nayeon swiveled her chair around, looking up at the ceiling, giving the appearance of a thoughtful girl. “My group and I agreed not to mention it to anyone, not even you or Yuna-yah, because we didn't feel it was necessary.”

“But,” Ryujin interjected, “I wouldn't have liked to find out years later that my career was alive because of someone and that I never thanked that someone.”

Nayeon waved a hand, focusing her eyes on her.

“We didn't want it to seem like a favor or anything,” she said. “However, I couldn't resist sending you a message; I was happy for you and your girlfriend. Looks like it backfired on me…”

Ryujin leaned forward, folding her hands in her lap.

“I am forever indebted to you and all of TWICE, sunbae,” she said earnestly. “I would never forgive myself if I hadn't thanked you at least. So please accept it.”

Nayeon swiveled a couple of times in the chair and stopped in front of her. She smiled, a smile that reminded Ryujin of Yuna's.

“Bunny smile,” she thought.

“Weeell, if you're like that… It's okay. You don't owe me anything, though: what they wanted to do to you was stupid, and yet they were determined to do it anyway.”

Ryujin felt a knot unravel inside her. She had found her savior and thanked her.

“If I could talk to the rest of TWICE…” Ryujin began.

“No, no! No need, really,” Nayeon interrupted, waving her hands. “If you want, I'll pass to them your thanks, but seriously, you don't have to do it personally.”

“If you say so, sunbae…”

“Totally,” Nayeon giggled. “If you want to feel better about yourself, you can invite all nine of us to dinner.”

“The nine of them!?” Ryujin thought, not letting her face convey anything. Dinner for nine at a quality restaurant would be a considerable hit to her wallet.

“They saved your , don't be stingy,” a little voice in her head scolded.

Ryujin cleared .

“Of course, sunbae,” she said, smiling, “It would be my pleasure.”

Nayeon winked at her as he stood up.

“It's a deal, Ryujin-ah!”

Ryujin let out a laugh, which ended as she remembered something else.

“Wait, what did you talk to Mr. Park about?”

Nayeon smiled enigmatically.

“That will be kept a secret. I don't intend to ruin his reputation.” She added in a lower voice: “At least not any further.”

Ryujin did not insist. She had gotten what she wanted to know and thanked her for her help, and that was enough for Ryujin.

“However,” Nayeon said before leaving, “I'm forced to add that it wasn't all thanks to the nine of us. Park was still reluctant to agree to talk to the executives even after I had made my case for why she shouldn't kick anyone out of your group, and it wasn't until his secretary came to tell him something I didn't know about that he agreed to talk to them. I have no idea what they talked about, but I think it was important.”

Ryujin frowned questioningly.

“That's strange…”

Nayeon turned the knob and, before leaving, told her with a smile:

“You can tell Yuna-yah about this, but don't tell anyone else, okay?”

Ryujin nodded her head. The more people knew, the more likely it was that something damaging would leak out against the company.

“See you later, Ryujin-ah!”

“See you later, sunbae. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Ryujin said, her voice heavy with gratitude.

Nayeon gave her a thumbs-up and left the studio.

 

---

 

Nayeon's last words were responsible for sowing another uneasiness in Ryujin. What had made Mr. Park change his mind in the end? What had been that little push he seemed to need?

Her manager took it upon herself to make her understand.

“Did you hear anything about what Jungkook and V from BTS did?” was the first thing he said as soon as Ryujin answered the phone.

“Erm, yes.”

Her manager proceeded to tell her the new details of what the JYP executives did in the most tense moments of the scandal. They had decided to fire Ryujin and were getting everything ready to tell her, but stopped everything when the HYBE Labels statement came out. They froze everything to see what would happen to that company's shares and, seeing that nothing significant happened, they reconsidered the decision to fire Ryujin.

“My guess is,” her manager said in conclusion, “that since HYBE was the first company to do such a thing without any serious consequences, they decided to follow in their footsteps. It is no secret to anyone (or at least to me) that JYP always takes note of what other companies do, especially HYBE.”

Ryujin guessed that explained why it had taken them until the end of March to communicate the decision to them. A violent shudder shook her as she realized that there was a certain time when they did come close to kicking her out.

“Luckily, I have angels watching my ing .”

 

---

 

“Did you talk to your parents?” Ryujin asked when Yuna let her lips go.

“Yeah, it was one of the first things I did,” Yuna said, digging her fingers into Ryujin's hair. “They were very upset, but they remained skeptical to believe that you… Well, you know. I appeased them by confirming that everything was false except that you were my girlfriend,” Yuna smiled. “They were quite surprised that a) I was a lesbian, and b) that you were my partner. My mother called me after a while, saying that she had always thought our relationship as friends was very nice, so she was happy for me. My father said something similar: if it makes you happy, then everything is fine.”

Ryujin felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. It was a frequent feeling of late. She still carried the weight titled “what about ITZY”, but that could only be lifted when they had a comeback someday.

“I'm glad,” Ryujin said, holding Yuna's hips, who was mounted on her lap.

Yuna scratched her head, causing Ryujin to close her eyes, pleased. She loved it when Yuna did that.

“They told me to take you out to dinner sometime,” Yuna said.

Ryujin let out a chuckle, still with her eyes closed.

“Mine told me the same thing.”

“We'll go first with my parents.”

Ryujin clicked her tongue.

“Ah, ah, first I'll take you to mine.”

“Do you want to bet?” Yuna stopped scratching her head. Ryujin opened her eyes, seeing Yuna looming over her. “Whoever wins takes the other to dinner with her parents first.”

Ryujin drummed her fingers on Yuna's hip, thinking about which game to choose.

“Okay, but I don't want to move from here.”

Yuna smiled as she bit her lower lip. Ryujin grunted at the gesture. That smile and lip bite was driving her crazy.

“I have the perfect game: let's kiss, and whoever runs out of air first loses.”

Yuna tugged her hair lightly, making Ryujin growl again and raise her head.

“This is cheating,” she said. “You're doing the things you know to make me lose my concentration.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, Ryujinie. Do you accept?”

“You're going to regret this, honey. Come here.”

Yuna complied with the request.

 

---

 

“Look at this,” Yeji said.

Yeji was peeking over the edge of the roof. Ryujin went over there. Yeji gestured for her to look out.

As she looked out onto the street, Ryujin saw an encouraging sight.

“What do you see?” Chaeryeong raised her voice. She was afraid of heights, so she stayed away from the edge.

“Nothing, fortunately,” Jisu said.

“Exactly,” Yeji said. “There are no more reporters swarming around here day and night.”

“Does that mean they will let us leave soon?” Yuna asked. She sounded anxious.

“I'm optimistic about that,” Ryujin said.

“I wish,” Chaeryeong said. “May is almost here.”

“I'll make a request for us to return to our normal lives. They won't turn me down,” Yeji sounded confident.

 

---

 

Yeji was right. Ryujin and the rest had their remaining restrictions lifted at the beginning of May. With no comeback in sight, the five girls went to visit their families. Ryujin had a long and necessary conversation with her parents, in which Ryujin had to explain to them several times that everything was fine now and that the danger had passed.

She almost laughed at herself at the thought that she missed Yuna's presence.

“A month without leaving each other's side, but here I am, missing her.” She couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she read the message Yuna sent her.

Yuna: “I miss you.”

Ryujin: “We have to learn to live without being at most ten meters away from each other”

Yuna: “I know, but now I find it very difficult”

Ryujin: “We'll survive, my love”

Yuna: “ㅋㅋ”

 

---

 

“And you tell me that you hardly ever visit this street,” Yuan said. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Yep,” Ryujin answered, emphasizing the “p”.

“The famous Girasu Street in Gangnam (where you live), but you never come here.”

“The fashionista here is you, not me. Let's go see what's around here.”

Ryujin took Yuna's hand and started walking. Girasu Street was so long that the end was a blur to Ryujin's eyes. There was a good flow of people, despite the very nature of the street. On both sides of it were clothing stores galore. Wherever Ryujin looked, she saw one. The mannequins behind the gleaming windows displayed luxurious clothes. Shirts, pants, blouses, coats, glasses, shoes. Some signs read that their clothes were designer, whatever that meant. Ryujin didn't care.

What she did care about was the look on Yuna's face. The girl's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the different pieces with gleeful coolness.

“I'd come here every day if I lived nearby,” Yuna sounded fascinated.

“Good thing you don't,” Ryujin said. “You'd blow all your money on clothes.”

Yuna didn't seem to pay any attention to her. She stopped suddenly, causing Ryujin to be pulled back. Ryujin glared at her, but Yuna was looking closely through the glass at a mannequin wearing a studded blouse.

“It's beautiful,” she said.

Ryujin didn't find it particularly beautiful, but reserved her opinion. Yuna knew much more than she did in these matters.

“I can give you a couple of things before my wallet starts complaining,” Ryujin reported.

“No need, Ryujinie. We came here to walk around,” although she spoke with apparent indifference, Ryujin knew her too well to know that she wanted to leave with at least three bags full of clothes.

“Yeah, yeah, don't tell me stories,” Ryujin rolled her eyes. “Just pick something you like, I'll pay for it.”

“Hey, I can pay for it too.”

“But it's not the same as me giving it to you.”

“Well, at least let me buy you something that I think will look good on you.”

“It's a deal, I guess.”

Yuna winked at her and walked back. Ryujin wasn't one to go crazy about clothes, but if Yuna liked it, what less to please her. Yuna had never asked Ryujin to give her anything, and Ryujin wasn't the type to want a bunch of gifts either. She preferred to bake a homemade cake with Yuna's help. It was more fun. However, they could treat themselves, and this was one of those occasions.

A while later, Ryujin was carrying a couple of bags with various pieces of clothing. One was Yuna's, and the other was Ryujin's.

Yuna was examining another shop window. Ryujin was facing the street, waiting for Yuna to finish. She saw several people walk by, making eye contact with some. There were several idols around, though Ryujin knew them only by sight.

“There goes G-Dragon (he's a designer, so I'm not surprised to see him around), I could swear that's Karina and I think that's Jackson,” Ryujin thought as she watched the idols pass back and forth.

She felt like asking Jackson for an autograph (she loved GOT7), but demurely stopped her.

Two girls passed in front