The girl feels her head spinning and her body getting lighter, just for a short while before snapping back into reality. 

It’s such a weird addiction. It shouldn’t feel good but it did. A moment of euphoria, yet it was for all the wrong and messed up reasons. It shouldn’t feel good, but it did. Again. 

“Irene-ssi? Irene-ssi”

The repeated calls for attention pulls Bae Joohyun back to the set. The girl looks around her and recalls where she was. 

Cameras rolling, eyes staring at her, all of red velvet were at the studio filming for a small project. 

“Oh sorry, next question please”, Irene replies with a bow and light chuckle. 

The girl finds her eye wandering off to a certain younger girl in the same studio set. She swears for a second there, their eyes locked. But as quickly as how the two wandering eyes search for one another, both girls looked away. 

Along came the aching in both their hearts, a familiar feeling for the past few months. Unbearable in the beginning, more so at this present moment.

Yet, in the mist of everything, the confused Bae Joohyun finds it addictive. She had once again allowed herself to find pleasure in the pain. 

But a few seats away, young Wendy finds her jaws clenched so tightly her teeth could break any second. Not everyone is as enthusiastic about this arrangement.

The two girls didn’t know how it all began, how they were picked for this sick media play. But they do know that it’s been done before, and it can get too real, to dangerous very fast. And before they even know it, things will never be the same again. At least that was what happened to two of the seniors. 

The company had made it sound all easy and even tried pushing the idea as an acting experience. The task at hand? Make it look like there has been conflict between 2 members of a top tier girl group. The two girls who were reluctant in the beginning didn’t really have a say and before they knew it, the masks were up and the stage was set. 

Wendy and Irene thought this whole thing was just a performance between the two, but what they failed to understand was that behind every play is an entire team from supporting characters to the one pulling the strings. 

It started off early when the company began packing their schedules to the brim, and making sure they won’t have the change to meet. 

Then they had to act like their weren’t in speaking terms on stage, on sets, in their dorms everywhere. 

Soon enough, it was like they didn’t even have to try at all, everything had fallen into place. Every moment, every tension, every awkward feeling in the air - it was all natural. 

“Anddd CUT!”, Wendy gasped, feeling like she could finally breathe again. The girl wishes that the “Cut” would be for this entire charade but it was for today’s filming. 

Wendy couldn’t wait another moment and took off alone right after going around thanking all the crew. 

Back at the studio, Irene continues to stay in character and avoids paying too much attention to the younger girl yet from the moment the producer shouted cut - Irenes eyes followed Wendy’s silhouette until it disappears through the door. 

Old habits die hard. 

“Where is Wendy going?”, Irene could hear Seulgi asking their manager, but tricked herself into thinking she couldn’t care less and walked off. 

==========

In the wee hours, the sound of someone keying in a 5 digit passcodes, followed by the unlocking of doors broke the silence of Red Velvet’s dorm. 

A certain Son Seungwan h