Apr 14
(ू′o‵ ू) * ✲ ﾟ 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙸𝙽 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂
𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂 𝙼𝚈 𝙳𝙰𝚈𝚂 🐇 ❄️ ･ ｡ ♡ ݃ ◌ 𔓕 *
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Germany
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Belgium
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Taiwan
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Belgium
(ू′o‵ ू) * ✲ ﾟ 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙸𝙽 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂
𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂 𝙼𝚈 𝙳𝙰𝚈𝚂 🐇 ❄️ ･ ｡ ♡ ݃ ◌ 𔓕 *
Hey! If you could sign the members of Itzy for the Vixen Media Group porn sites, who would you sign? You could sign them for multiple ones as well 💙
Yeji
for Wifey
Yeji is the perfect choice for Wifey. Her fierce yet elegant visuals, sharp charisma, and natural dominance mixed with submissive moments make her an ideal hot wife.
She walks onto set with a confident smirk, dressed in luxurious lingerie that highlights her toned body. Yeji loves playing the cute but naughty wife who has her husband filming her getting stretched by other men. She usually starts with slow, intimate blowjobs, maintaining eye contact while drooling on someone's cock. Her favorite is riding a man's cock in cowgirl, hips rolling as she moans for him and her husband.
“Does my pussy feel good, baby?”
Yeji takes deep creampies with a huge smile, pushing the cum back inside her while looking at her husband.
Lia
for Vixen
Lia blushes at first but melts on camera. She excels in romantic, intimate scenes with soft lighting, silk sheets, and passionate eye contact. She gives slow, sloppy blowjobs with her pretty lips, moaning sweetly around cock. In missionary, her big doe eyes water beautifully as she takes thrust after thrust. Her melodic voice whimpers in pleasure.
Her body is incredibly responsive. She trembles and cums easily, legs wrapped tightly around her costar's hips as she begs.
“Please cum inside me…”
Her innocent-looking face contrasting with how greedily she takes load after load makes her extremely popular.
Ryujin
for Blacked Raw
Ryujin smirks at the camera before dropping to her knees, spitting on big black cocks and deepthroating aggressively. Ryujin loves getting manhandled. Rough doggy style, hair pulling, and choking while moaning.
“Fuck me harder with that big cock.”
She throws it back enthusiastically, her toned body glistening with sweat as she gets pounded. Ryujin takes massive creampies and facials without hesitation, often smirking arrogantly right after being filled. Most of her videos end with her stumbling out of a random hotel room, her hair and makeup a mess, her clothes not properly put together.
Chaeryeong
for Tushy
Chaeryeong’s elegant body and dedicated personality make her perfect for Tushy’s anal-focused content.
She starts shy but becomes incredibly needy once her ass is stretched. Her long legs and flexibility allow for beautiful positions as she takes sometimes several cocks in a row. Chaeryeong moans gracefully, face buried in the sheets while pushing back.
"It’s so deep in my ass…You're gaping me...”
Her favourite are slow, soft anal scenes that gradually turn intense. Most of her videos are more girlfriend themed. She's knwon for her sweet, slow moaning scenes, that turn into rough pounding, until her body gives out. Her graceful movements and the way her body trembles after intense orgasms make every scene mesmerizing. Viewers love her elegant beauty getting ruined by how hard her costars ruin her toward the ends of her scenes.
Yuna
for Tushy Raw
Yuna bounces around the set with her usual playful smile, but once the scene starts, that innocent energy turns into something much filthier. Yuna loves getting her tight ass stretched on camera. She starts by teasing the viewer, spreading her cheeks and giggling nervously before moaning loudly as a thick cock pushes into her ass.
“It’s so big… but I can take it."
She says in her cutest voice that quickly becomes desperate.
Her flexibility shines as she gets folded into deep anal positions with her favorite, reverse cowgirl where she bounces energetically, ass rippling with every drop. Yuna is vocal and enthusiastic even in the rawest scenes, moaning shamelessly, pushing back for more, and giggling between gasps when it feels especially intense. She takes rough, deep anal pounding without hesitation, her pretty face contorting in pleasure as she cums hard from her ass being fucked.
Compared to Chaeryeong, she doesn't need to start slow. Some of her scenes start with going right into the action without foreplay at all. Just Yuna, bent over, someone already using her ass.
After getting thoroughly fucked, she loves showing a messy creampie or facial, pushing the cum out of her stretched hole while smiling brightly at the camera. Her combination of youthful cuteness and eagerness to get her ass ruined makes her addicting to watch.
LATE NIGHT, ANTON LEE
baby, it's 3:00 am. had you on my mind and it's not the first time...
— you had recently broken up and anton found himself in another anguished bout of insomnia, his clock reading 3:00 am as he caught himself rereading old messages.
... every night at late night he returns to your old messages like a wound he refuses to close...
mentioned: lia itzy wonbin riize !
Pairings: ex-boyfriend! angst anton x fem!reader
Warmings: breakup, heartbreak, insomnia, emotional pain.
Notes: soft but painful exes trope because i have issues <3
Anton found himself once again in his bedroom, wearing his usual sweatpants and a black shirt. He could say he was going to sleep, but his clock read 3:00 a.m., and beneath his eyes, dark circles were visible, showing it wasn’t the first, second, or even third time he had found himself in that state.
It wasn’t simple insomnia from a twenty two year old young man. It was more than that. Something that wouldn’t be solved just by sleeping.
Especially because y/n used to sleep beside him...
She would run her fingers through his soft strands, place kisses on the nose she loved so much, and always ask Anton to play a melody on his bass resting in the corner of the room.
The moon illuminated the bedroom, kissing the white sheets with its dense rays of light.
The American downed a glass of water, swallowing a sleeping pill with it — but he knew it was pointless. He only took it so he could doze off before work and before going to college.
When he finally lay down, his phone was in front of his face, glowing dimly, and his irises caught that familiar blue from the messaging app. There he was again.
Listening to old voice messages, reading unfulfilled promises, random pictures, and even more heated conversations between the two of you. A faint smile appeared on his lips, but he couldn’t smile as if you had only gone away on a round trip.
“Breaking up with me was so cruel, y/n. I hope you’re doing well. I love you…”
he whispered to himself before setting the phone aside on the charger and finally letting his eyelids close to sleep.
Or at least convince himself he had slept.
(...)
You and Anton attended the same university, but you always avoided walking the same paths as him. You stopped going to the swimming club where he sometimes trained and competed, and cut short any conversation that involved the boy’s name.
Distracted in a corner with your friend during lunch, you caught sight of your ex-boyfriend’s silhouette from afar.
Handsome as always.
He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, and even so he walked across campus as if there weren’t a labyrinth behind him, one that always led him back to the same anguish late at night.
“Hey, y/n, are you listening to me?” your friend called for your attention. “Earth to y/n!”
You blinked frantically, as if trying to steady yourself back into reality, and looked away from the one who no longer belonged to you.
“Oh, Lia! Y-yeah. I am...”
Lia narrowed her eyes and looked in the direction you had been staring before, finding Anton now standing still, scrolling through his phone.
“You said you were over him, y/n.” The girl crossed her arms, turning back to you.
A heavy sigh left your lips.
“Look, I am over him, okay? But it’s not that simple sharing the same space as him.”
“It’s not that simple, or you don’t want it to be simple? Look at yourself, sweetheart. You care more about Lee than you admit to yourself.”
“That’s not true, Lia...” you tightened your grip on your bag strap. “He just... looks unwell. Really unwell. He didn’t have those dark circles before.”
Lia took a deep breath.
“That is being worried, y/n. You still care about him. But remember, you broke up with him without giving an explanation.”
“You... think I was harsh? I tried to make it a gentle breakup...”
“There’s no such thing as a gentle breakup! They’re all painful and confusing all the same.”
You knew Lia was right.
Your breakup with Anton was something not even outsiders understood. You were a sweet, affectionate, attentive couple, and then suddenly Anton shut himself off, even from swimming.
Everyone thought you had cheated on him or broken up because of something wrong Anton had done — but we’re talking about Anton Lee.
He would never hurt you. Not physically, psychologically, or through words. He loved you too much.
And still does.
Distracted by his phone, Anton lifted his head for a moment, trying to find a friend somewhere on campus, and his gaze landed on you talking to Lia.
At another time, he would have walked up to you with a smile, a cup of sweets in hand, greeting you with a shy kiss. But now he had to settle for this almost unnecessary distance.
But what actually happened? Well, that’s a common question.
There was no argument. No fight. No hurtful words. You didn’t break up with him because you wanted to.
The truth is...
“I didn’t know how to tell him about it, Lia. How do you think he would react? It would be three times worse!”
“y/n... Anton has every right to know you’re leaving the country.”
Yeah. Money isn’t infinite, and staying somewhere more expensive than your home country weighed heavier than it seemed.
Anton’s biggest fear about dating you had always been this.
And you knew it. That’s why you chose to break up, because you thought the pain would be easier to bear.
A lie.
You didn’t want to lie to Anton, not at all. But you also couldn’t bear to hurt his heart any more than you already had.
It was so complicated.
Later, Anton was jotting down a few things in his notebook when his earbud was carefully removed, and soon Wonbin’s voice made itself known—his best friend.
“Why are you here in the library? You said you hate the smell in here.”
Anton turned to the Korean, who was already sitting beside him, resting his face against one hand and frowning at the sight of Anton.
“Wow. You look terrible, you know that?”
“Thanks, Wonbin. That’s exactly what I needed to hear from my best friend.”
Wonbin ignored Anton’s sarcasm.
“Couldn’t sleep again?” he sighed. “Anton, this isn’t good for you.”
“And what exactly do you want me to do?” Anton shot back. “y'n won’t get back together with me, and I can’t move on because it feels like… it feels like the breakup was forced!”
“Forced? Why does it seem forced? Didn’t she say why she was breaking up with you?”
Anton took off his earphones completely and let them hang around his neck, running both hands over his face before dragging them through his hair, gradually messing it up.
“The only thing she said was that she didn’t want to hurt me and that someday I’d understand why she did that. But honestly? It feels like she’s hiding something.”
Wonbin nodded slowly, not taking his attention off his friend.
“I get it… why don’t you try talking to her? Like, I don’t know. y/n has always been easy to talk to and mayb—”
“She changes environments every time I’m around or takes another route if we’re walking down the same hallway. Do you think she’ll stop to listen to me?”
“Ah…” the Korean adjusted his posture. “In that case, I suggest you let me step into this mess between you two.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s simple. I talk to her about something random, ask for her help. I make up some excuse saying she has to meet me at the end of the day, and instead of me, it’ll be you waiting for her. It’s a good idea for you.”
Anton raised an eyebrow and looked at Wonbin with an indignant expression.
“Definitely not. Have you lost your mind, Park? She’ll freak out if that happens and think I’m an idiot who hasn’t gotten over the breakup!”
“But you are an idiot who hasn’t gotten over the breakup. Use that to your advantage, Anton Lee. Think about it.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Wonbin.”
“But I do. So? Do you want to know the truth once and for all, or would you rather spend another sleepless night drowning in your own sadness?”
...
Against Anton’s will, he was at that very moment frantically bouncing his left leg while waiting on a bench in a plaza near campus.
Yes, he had allowed Wonbin to put his plan into action, and now he had to be part of the process, overwhelmed by an anxiety that seemed to take over every vital organ in his body.
He sighed, took deep breaths, and his mind wouldn’t stop dwelling on the possibility of you getting angry. He didn’t want you to think anything wrong about him.
Even though he was happy his friend wanted to help him, he was still apprehensive.
What if he was reading everything wrong and, in the end, you really had just wanted to break up with him?
But he was sure he had seen your eyes glistening with tears the day you broke up with him. That expression you made whenever you didn’t want to leave after a date or leave his house.
He knew you well enough to notice details that perhaps even you hadn’t realized yourself.
“Where’s your signal, Park Wonbin…?” he muttered quietly to himself, unlocking his phone screen.
And in that very second, a notification from Wonbin appeared.
Message: She’s heading to you!
So the plan had worked.
Anton’s eyes widened slightly, his heart pounding hard against his chest, causing a faint ache in his ribs.
The thought of having you this close again sent a rush of euphoria through him.
Did you still wear the same perfume? The same shampoo?
What kind of look would you give him?
Lost in so many questions, he didn’t notice you approaching. But the moment that familiar fragrance reached him, Anton felt trapped in a dead end.
You were there.
“…Anton?”
Your breath hitched. Your fingers trembled around your phone, and the melody of his voice seemed to make your body come alive again from the inside, after days of drowning in your own sadness.
“Hmm… I… should’ve known this was a setup,” you said, clutching your bag. “I-I think I should—”
“Wait!”
Anton stood up in one swift motion, forcing his mind back to reality, and for the first time in seven months since the breakup, your eyes met again.
He remembered well how beautiful you could be, and for a moment, he let himself take in every little detail of your face once more.
It was like the moon kissing the sea.
And Anton couldn’t have been more certain.
Your eyes were still hiding something.
“I-I… ignore Wonbin’s stupid plan! I-I need to talk to you! And please, forgive me for this, but it was the only way I could have you close to me again.”
You listened to everything attentively, your eyes slightly widened as you looked at Anton.
“y/n, I need you to explain. I-I know you didn’t break up with me because you wanted to. I need to kno—”
His words were suddenly cut off by a sudden movement from you, rising a little onto your toes because of the height difference and pressing your lips against Anton’s.
He had no initial reaction.
It was as if all his problems had slowly begun resolving the moment his lips were pressed against yours.
Anton felt his hands tremble as he moved them to your waist, wrapping his arms around you, allowing himself to feel your warmth again, your scent, and the gentle way you touched his face and sealed your lips against his.
Seven months apart from each other’s touch.
When you pulled away, your eyes were brimming with tears, and the moment Anton noticed, he gathered enough courage to hold your face.
“y/n… you’re hiding something, aren’t you? And I know it must be hurting you even more than it hurts me.”
You took a deep breath and held the hands tracing over your face.
“I didn’t want to break up with you, Anton. I didn’t want to hurt you. And I ended up hurting you anyway. I’m sorry…”
“Baby, I believe you. I could tell from your eyes—you didn’t want to leave.”
“I never did. I love you! But…” You inhaled shakily again, your heart pounding harder. “Let’s sit down first, hm?”
Anton nodded and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before lowering his hands to hold yours, feeling how nervous you were.
He couldn’t imagine what it could be. He prayed it wasn’t something involving your health—he had even wondered if you were sick.
But the thought of you truly leaving had never crossed his mind.
Until now.
“So…” you began, sitting down on the bench. “My parents contacted me, and even though I live alone, can support myself here, have you and college… they want to move back to our hometown.”
Anton’s heart lurched in immediate shock.
“I knew you were insecure about that, and I thought breaking up with you would… make it hurt less. But after seeing how you were, I felt like the worst person in the world.”
And then Anton’s mind cleared.
All this time, you had been trying to protect him, even if in a painful way. You were still thinking about his feelings, and Anton had never felt so overwhelmed with emotion.
The idea of you leaving and abandoning him behind terrified him—because he had never once imagined it.
“Honey… you… you suffered alone all this time because you acted out of panic. I’m the one who owes you an apology…”
By then, both of your eyes burned with tears, and your hands never disconnected; the fear of never touching each other again hurt you both.
“And when are you leaving?”
“In two weeks…”
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Still, Anton held back his tears and nodded, squeezing your hand tighter.
He gently pulled you toward him, leaning close again to press a tender kiss to your lips. That shy affection you had missed so much.
And would miss even more.
“…Can’t you stay with me? Or I could try to go with you! Just don’t leave me alone, y/n… life without you is gray and dull. Isn’t there any other way to convince them to let you stay?”
You slowly shook your head, lifting a hand to brush away the strands falling over his face.
“I tried convincing my father to let me finish college, and he was firm when he said he wouldn’t let his daughter stay alone in a country like South Korea.”
“But you’re an adult! We’re twenty-one, y/n. That doesn’t make sen—”
You silenced him with another kiss, this one lingering longer, letting yourself be carried away by the feeling of kissing the boy you had loved most in your entire life.
Maybe you would never see each other again, even if you kept in touch.
So if you were going to spend your last days breathing the same air as Anton Lee, it would be in the comfort of his arms and against his lips.
“Promise me you’ll live well, stay healthy, and find a beautiful girlfriend who’ll take care of you the way I couldn’t.”
“Baby…”
“Promise?”
Anton sighed and, after a long pause, nodded hesitantly, a single tear slipping down.
You smiled too, reaching the edge of your own tears.
“I love you, my silly boy. So handsome, so charming,” you murmured, caressing his face. “Let’s spend our last days together like it’s our first time, hm? You still haven’t taken me to buy junk food at a convenience store in the middle of the night.”
Anton let out a weak laugh through his sadness and pulled you into a tight embrace. The moon bore witness to a love that had every reason to work, but fate can be cruel when it wants to be.
Soulmates are meant to find each other, but not always meant to stay together.
“I love you, my little ray of light.”
You nestled into the boy’s warm embrace and whispered back,
“I love you even more, my silly boy.”
Maybe Anton would have to endure a few more sleepless nights.
Still, he felt a little relieved knowing he had two weeks left by your side.
No night without sleep could change the ache of swallowing the fact that he would no longer have you in his arms.
And forever Anton would remember the girl who loved his insecurities, encouraged his dreams, and hurt herself trying to protect him.
Forever, you would be his girl.
And he would do anything to find you again.
Even if it was at late night, Anton would search for you.
Your father couldn’t stop him from boarding that plane with you.
And that thought toyed with the boy’s mind as he smiled into the embrace, pulling you even closer.
He would never give up on you.
Overworked & Overwanted – One Honest Thing
Word Count: 22,419 Lia x Male Reader (OC Character)
Breakfast ended with one hypothetical daughter, an imaginary double wedding, three competing aunt committees, and my best buddy being publicly booed for rejecting a proposal he had never actually received.
Normal vacation progress, actually.
John remained at the table after the argument had moved on, both hands wrapped around his water glass while his soul appeared to have stepped outside for air. Sana was still attached to his arm, glowing with the satisfaction of someone who had detonated a conversation and suffered none of the consequences.
Beside me, Yeji ate fully cooked eggs and rationed half a cup of coffee under protest. She lifted it for another sip. I watched. Her eyes shifted toward me over the rim, “You’re still counting.”
“I’m observing.” “You moved my cup farther away after the third sip.”
That accusation would have been easier to deny if Lia had not looked up from her tea and confirmed it. Ryujin, whose sunglasses were resting beside her because even she understood that wearing them at breakfast would look dramatic, called it surveillance husband mode. “Preventive care,” I corrected.
“For someone who isn’t pregnant.” “Preventive hypothetical care.” Yeji covered her face, “There should not be a hypothetical version.”
I looked at her cooked eggs, then at the coffee I had personally pushed beyond convenient reach “I disagree.”
“Benjie.” “Yes, wife-girlfriend?”
Her fingers found my side beneath the table with perfect accuracy. Pain. Corrective pain. Romantic pain— I accepted the consequences with dignity.
Across from us, Jihyo set down her glass and looked at John “Come on.”
He did not move. His eyes narrowed instead, because after the morning he had endured, any direct instruction from a TWICE member deserved suspicion “Where?”
“Change into activity clothes.”
The table quieted just enough to become dangerous. John glanced around as if someone might intervene on his behalf. Nobody did. Most of TWICE looked interested. Sana looked delighted. Momo was already assessing whether he had consumed enough water to survive whatever came next “I asked for physical activity,” John said carefully. “I didn’t say when.”
“You asked.” “That is true.” Jihyo stood and held out her hand “And that was technically permission.” “That isn’t how permission works.” “It is how my day works.”
Sana finally released his arm, though only after whispering something near his ear that made him close his eyes in resignation. Then she kissed his cheek and wished him luck in a tone that sounded less supportive than predictive. John accepted Jihyo’s hand anyway. There was no managerial hesitation in it. No weighing of schedules or obligations. He understood what the rest of us did.
Today belonged to Jihyo.
Whatever she wanted from him, he had already decided to try “Do you think she’s going to kill him?” I asked as they started toward the villas. Momo shook her head “She’ll hydrate him.”
“That wasn’t the question.” “It’s the important part.” John stopped along the path and looked back at us “I can still hear you.”
Nayeon smiled and wished him luck. He stared at her for a moment “That sounded worse.” Jihyo tugged him onward before anyone could provide reassurance. Once they disappeared, breakfast began to dissolve naturally. Not into peace—nothing involving Nayeon, Ryujin, Yuna, Dahyun, or hypothetical children could be called peaceful without committing fraud—but into the slower disorder that followed everyone surviving too much before nine in the morning.
Momo started helping the resort staff clear plates. Chaeryeong immediately joined her and attempted to carry more dishes than her arms reasonably allowed. Momo removed half of them without asking, then placed a piece of toast in Chaeryeong’s newly freed hand “Carry this.”
Chaeryeong stared at the toast. Then ate it. Effective leadership. The others drifted toward their separate plans. Nayeon and Jeongyeon wandered in the direction of the recreation area with drinks, allegedly to walk. Nobody believed them. Sana led several of the others back toward the villas while Dahyun pretended she was not already discussing what Jihyo might have planned for John.
Mina and Chaeyoung left together, their shoulders brushing often enough to stop being accidental. Tzuyu followed them with three pieces of fruit and no explanation.
Eventually, the table belonged to ITZY and me.
And to the memory of a daughter who had somehow received breakfast regulations before being conceived. Yeji nudged my shoulder “You’re thinking too loudly.”
“I’m reconsidering every decision that led to Hana having fifteen aunts before she exists.” “You made most of those decisions.” “We made them together.” Color warmed her cheeks “That doesn’t make the sentence better.” “It makes it romantic.” “It makes it worse romantically.”
Yuna leaned across the table before I could elaborate “So what are we doing?” “Resting,” Lia said. Ryujin put on her sunglasses “Boring.” “You’re hungover.” “I can be hungover dynamically.” “That’s how you became hungover.”
Yuna turned to me with the unmistakable expression of someone about to invent mandatory recreation “Manager-nim?”
“No.” “You don’t know what I was going to ask.” “I know the category.”
She reached for her notebook anyway. Lia caught her wrist before she could document consent that had never existed. I would have enjoyed watching the argument continue if Yeji had not gone quiet beside me.
Her attention moved over my shoulders, down my arms, then toward the pathway John and Jihyo had taken “You want to move around don’t you.”
It was not a question. That was the problem with loving someone observant. Eventually, every lie had to survive eye contact, “I’m fine.” I assured her.
“That wasn’t what I said.”
The others quieted—not completely, but enough for me to feel their attention turn. I looked past the table toward the resort grounds. The morning was bright without being oppressive yet. Palm shadows stretched across the paths. Somewhere beyond them, the ocean moved with the kind of indifference only large bodies of water and financial markets could afford.
Except the markets did not need me that morning.
There were no calls waiting. No crisis hidden beneath the word urgent. Nobody needed protection for at least until lunch.
My body had not received that information. Too much noise from breakfast still lived beneath my skin. Too much future. Too much softness sitting beside me as though it belonged there “I could walk,” I said.
Yeji raised an eyebrow “Walk?” “I contain cardiovascular potential.” Ryujin looked offended by the phrasing “You contain acquisition documents.” “I contain multitudes.” Yuna stood immediately “We’re walking.”
Lia reminded her that she had complained about standing three minutes earlier, but Yuna had already decided walking was now an event. Yeji slipped her hand into mine as the others got up, “Walking,” she reminded me.
“Walking.” “No buying recreational facilities.” “I already own—” Her fingers tightened around mine “Walking.” “Yes, love.”
We made it six minutes. That was respectable. Possibly a personal record.
The recreation area sat farther inland from the beach, tucked between palms and shaded paths. Tennis courts occupied one side. A small badminton court and fitness pavilion sat beyond them. At the far end, beneath a low roof, a basketball struck pavement.
Once. Twice. Then the rim.
My feet stopped before my mind formally approved the decision. Yeji felt it through our joined hands “No.”
“I haven’t said anything.” “You stopped.” “I observed.” “You stopped with intent.”
Ryujin followed my line of sight and made a small sound of understanding. Yuna brightened with the words “Basketball.”
Lia looked at me “Do you actually play?” “Occasionally.” Ryujin studied me “That sounded rich.” “How can basketball sound rich?” “You said occasionally like you own a private league.” “I do not own a private league.” Yeji gave me a look. “I don’t, I swear.” I repeated.
A pause became necessary.
“Although I’ve sponsored several.” Lia closed her eyes “Of course you did.”
Two resort staff members were already playing, one shooting from the side while the other collected rebounds. Several more stood nearby between tasks, towels draped over their shoulders. The shooter noticed me noticing the ball. He caught the rebound and held it beneath one arm “Would you like to shoot, sir?”
Yeji squeezed my hand once before releasing it. That squeeze said casual. I understood the policy “I could take a few.”
The ball came toward me. My left hand caught it without thought. The weight settled into my palm, familiar enough that something in my chest shifted before I could name it. Nothing dramatic, just recognition.
I stepped onto the court and took the first shot. It struck the back of the rim and bounced high. Ryujin laughed immediately “Occasionally.”
“Warmup.” The staff member rebounded it, “Still cold, sir?” “I was emotionally misled by the lighting.” “The hoop is regulation.”
That was hostile information. He passed it back, and the second shot dropped cleanly enough to restore civilization. The staff member who had been rebounding walked toward me “Would you care for a one-on-one, sir?”
I glanced at Yeji. She had taken the seat nearest the court, arms folded as though she had not just given me permission by creating space.
“Casual,” she said. “Emotionally?” “Physically.”
That felt restrictive, but the defender was already bouncing the ball. I accepted. The first possession told me what he expected. Speed. Most people expected speed because speed was simple. It announced itself honestly.
I preferred lying.
One slow dribble left. A shift of my shoulder. Half a pause. His weight moved before mine did. That was enough. I stepped across his front foot, changed direction after my body had already promised him something else, and finished with my left hand.
He turned beneath the basket “That wasn’t where your shoulders said you were going.” “Shoulders are unreliable witnesses.”
Behind us, Ryujin called it body fraud. Lia judged it technically legal. The defender stayed lower on the next possession. Better prepared.
I drove left. He cut me off, so I reset, rocked the ball back, and watched his balance shift. Then I went left again. Not because he did not know. Because knowing and stopping were different professions.
The finish rolled cleanly off the glass, “You like the left,” he said. “I’m committed.” “That means I should stop it.” “You could try.”
And try he did. On the next possession, he stayed attached through my first step, pushed me toward a worse angle, and forced the shot off the rim. He caught the rebound and smiled “Adjacent, sir?”
Ryujin laughed hard enough to attract attention from the other staff. He had learned too quickly. I liked him less immediately. Yeji tried not to smile, she failed. I saw it. That was enough reason to ask for the ball again.
The game gathered an audience without anyone formally deciding to watch. It was not celebrity attention. Nobody reached for a phone. Nobody whispered about ITZY sitting beside the court. Off-duty staff simply drifted closer to see whether a guest had become emotionally invested in casual basketball before breakfast had finished settling.
The defender adjusted, so did I. He expected my left now, but expectation was only useful when rhythm stayed honest. Mine did not.
I gave him the shoulder, paused, then changed pace halfway through the step. His body committed to where I should have been. Mine went somewhere less reasonable. I slipped past his hip and finished off the glass. The watching staff groaned. The defender turned with both hands raised “I was there.” I caught the ball as it dropped “You were adjacent.”
The word followed him to the sideline. I was still enjoying his suffering when Yuna leaned forward and asked why I moved like I was lying with my body. A familiar voice answered from behind her, “Because he is.” Another followed. “That is actually very accurate.”
I turned.
John stood beside Jihyo at the edge of the court, both changed into activity clothes. Jihyo’s hair was tied back. John wore shorts and a comfortable shirt, looking like a man who had walked directly into narrative consequences while hoping nobody would notice.
For one second, neither of us spoke. Then I smiled “I heard that.” “You were supposed to.”
Jihyo studied me with open surprise. “I knew he was fit. I didn’t expect him to be good.” I placed a hand over my chest, “Park Jihyo, you wound me.”
Jeongyeon agreed from the shaded side of the court. Apparently, she and Nayeon had completed their allegedly innocent walk and settled in to watch.
Yeji did not appear to hate that I was good. She had leaned forward, attention fixed on the court. Ryujin noticed, naturally, and informed everyone that Yeji liked basketball now.
“I’m supporting him,” Yeji said. “Visually.”
Yeji threatened Ryujin by name. I barely heard them. John was watching the ball. His eyes had narrowed—not in suspicion, but recognition, “You move more like Ginóbili now than you did in college.”
The ball stopped beneath my hand. My smile widened. Jihyo looked between us “NBA Legend Manu Ginóbili?”
John explained him simply: left-handed, strange rhythm, Eurostep, the kind of player who made ordinary defense feel stupid. The staff defender pointed toward him “That is exactly what happened.”
“Art,” I said. “Annoying,” John corrected. He continued studying me “You weren’t this smooth back then.” “I would hope not.” “No.” “Yes.” “Ben, what the hell?”
I shrugged “Otherwise, flying out to train with Ginóbili after he retired would have been a waste of time.”
Silence reached the court in stages. Nayeon lowered her drink. Jeongyeon looked from me to John. Ryujin completed the collective disbelief by asking whether I had genuinely flown to another country to play basketball with an NBA legend.
“Not always full games.” I corrected. Lia closed her eyes “That does not make it normal.” Yeji stared at me “Benjie.” My danger senses tingled “Yes, love?” “Why didn’t I know this?” “It didn’t seem relevant.”
That answer offended everyone more than the original confession. I attempted to explain that the trips had included business meetings. Nayeon informed me that made it worse. Jihyo turned toward John “You knew?”
“I knew he liked basketball. I didn’t know he turned retired NBA players into business-trip activities.”
I grinned “You noticed the footwork.” “I noticed the damage.”
Same thing, I tucked the ball beneath one arm and walked toward him. John took one step backward. Everyone noticed. “No,” he said.
“I haven’t asked.” “You’re about to.” “Best buddy.” “No.” “One game.” “I haven’t played in years.” “Then expectations are low. Very freeing.” “That isn’t motivation.” “It’s mercy.”
Jihyo looked at him differently “You played?” “A long time ago.” “He shot,” I corrected.
John glared at me because, according to him, shooting was part of playing. Technically true. Spiritually inadequate. I turned to Jihyo, “He was my Parker.”
The reaction was immediate, mostly because nobody understood what that meant and because John looked like he wanted the ground to accept him.
“If I was Ginóbili,” I explained, pointing to myself, “John was Tony Parker.” “Don’t make it dramatic,” John said. “It was dramatic. I drove left, made everyone panic, and he punished whoever helped.” “He stood outside like a tax,” I added.
Ryujin approved of the description. Yuna’s attention snapped toward John “You were a shooter?”
I looked at the ball, then at the man pretending the question had no weight “John was the person you left open once.” The court changed around us. Not louder.
Interested.
Jihyo was no longer looking at him like TWICE’s manager or as the woman responsible for making him rest. She looked at him like a girlfriend who had opened a door and found an older version of the man she loved waiting behind it, “That was a long time ago,” John said.
I bounced him the ball. He caught it by reflex. Cleanly. Too cleanly. His hands remembered before he could decide whether he wanted them to.
For a moment, the resort vanished from his face. There were no schedules, no rotation, no responsibilities waiting behind his eyes. Only the ball. The court. And a version of us from before we made careers out of carrying too much. “Looks like he’s still there” I said.
John stared down at the ball. Jihyo stepped closer, “You miss it.” His answer came quieter than anything else he had said “I miss when it was easy.” Her expression softened “Then go make it easy.” He looked at her “That isn’t reassuring.” “It’s honest.”
That was enough. I called for two-on-two. The taller staff member volunteered before his friend could object. They exchanged a glance, silently deciding whether accepting a game against both of us was wise.
Then the taller one looked at the ball in John’s hands “You saw him catch that,” he said. His partner nodded, “Fine. But if this becomes serious, we’re reconsidering the word recreational.”
“Semi-serious,” I promised. “That means serious.” “Only emotionally.”
Momo appeared beside Jihyo holding water. I had not seen her arrive. Momo around hydration did not arrive. She manifested as infrastructure. She pointed the bottle at John and ordered him to drink after. He reminded her that the game had not begun.
She looked unmoved.
The rest of TWICE arrived before he could argue further, drawn toward the court by the growing noise. Sana saw the ball in John’s hands, then Jihyo beside him, and smiled as though Jihyo Day had already justified itself. Dahyun raised an imaginary microphone halfway, noticed John’s expression, and lowered it again.
“He looks nervous.” “I’m standing right here.” “I know.” Her smile softened “That’s why I lowered it.”
John appeared more affected by the mercy than he would have been by the joke. Jihyo looked at him “I’d like to see it.”
That settled whatever pride and fear were still fighting inside him. John turned the ball once in his hands “One game.”
My grin broke open before I could control it. I missed this. Not basketball by itself. Not winning. Not the noise. I missed knowing where he would be without looking. I missed throwing the ball into empty space and trusting him to arrive. I missed being loud enough for both of us while John stood beyond the chaos and made silence look dangerous.
“Come on, Parker.” “Don’t call me that.” “Be my shooter again.”
He looked at Jihyo. She was excited—not politely supportive, not indulging him. Actually excited. His shoulders lowered “One game,” he repeated.
The first possession proved that history did not survive untouched. My pass reached him on the wing. His shot hit the front rim. Short.
Nayeon applauded anyway. Jeongyeon reminded her that support did not change physics.
The staff answered with a clean give-and-go. They moved like people who had played together during breaks for years, not temporary opponents waiting to be impressed.
That was good.
Tzuyu, eating fruit near the sideline, announced that the staff were not decorations. Dahyun called it almost a report. John pointed toward her before she could raise the imaginary microphone again.
The next possession was worse. I passed toward the corner where John used to arrive. He got there late and barely saved the ball from going out “You used to be faster.”
“I used to be younger.”
The staff member guarding him nodded in agreement, then reminded him that he was still losing. John thanked him less after that. I forced the next drive. The defender cut me off. I sent the ball back to John near the top, but he held it half a second too long.
The taller staff member closed the distance and blocked the shot cleanly. The ball struck the court. The watching group reacted as though something sacred had been violated. John only watched the ball roll, then nodded toward the defender “Clean block.”
The defender raised both hands “No freebies, sir.” My grin appeared slowly “Oh.” John looked at me “What?” “You’re waking up.” Jihyo stepped closer to the sideline “Should I be worried?” “No,” John answered too quickly.
Her smile answered for her. The next few points lost some of their comedy. Not all of it. I was incapable of becoming entirely serious while conscious. But the staff stopped smiling before every possession. I stopped treating every drive like an exhibition. John stopped checking who was watching. Mostly.
The score reached four to two before I forced my way inside with a shoulder fake and left-handed scoop. From the sideline, Yeji said my name. Quietly. That particular tone nearly cost us the next defensive possession. The staff scored anyway.
Five to three.
The game was supposed to reach eleven, win by two. At the rate we were going, casual recreation had become an employment dispute.
I checked the ball to John. For once, neither of us joked. I nodded toward the corner. He moved earlier. Not faster— earlier. That mattered more.
The defender followed my drive. The taller staff member shaded toward the lane. John slid to the wing with his hands ready. There. I changed a shot into a pass at the last second. John caught it without thinking.
Catch. Set. And release.
The ball dropped without touching the rim. For one second, the court went silent. Then a sound escaped me that should not have belonged to an adult man “MY PARKER IS BACK, BOYS!”
John closed his eyes. Ryujin wanted confirmation that I had squealed. Yeji covered her mouth but failed to hide her smile. Yuna declared that the sound had been expensive. Sana thought it sounded attached. John denied being my Parker. I pointed at the spot where he had taken the shot “You moved before I passed.”
“It was one shot.” “It was where you were before the shot.”
His eyes moved toward Jihyo. She looked away too late. Her ears had turned red. Nayeon noticed immediately. Sana helped make the situation worse. Jihyo pointed toward the court “Make another one.” In her language, that meant yes to several questions nobody needed to ask aloud.
The staff adapted. My next pass was stolen because I looked away too early and mistook performance for deception. The defender stepped into the lane easily “That was an easy read, sir.”
“I liked you better as scenery.” “I’m off in thirty minutes. I can be difficult until then.”
They scored. Six to four.
Momo praised the play from the sideline. Nayeon accused her of supporting the enemy. Momo remained loyal only to competent basketball and hydration. The score climbed.
Seven to five. Seven to six. Eight to six.
I kept going left. The staff kept closing it. They had stopped reaching and started talking through every possession “Stay on Sir Benjamin.”
“He wants the left.” “He always wants the left.” “Then stop giving it to him.” “I can hear you,” I said. “Good, sir.” Hospitality, apparently, had limits.
I drove again. The defender stayed attached. The taller staff member stepped over early and sealed the lane. They expected me to force the shot. John probably did too. Then they gave me what I had been waiting for.
Not space, the commitment to stopping me. I looked at the rim instead of John and bounced the ball hard through the defender’s legs. He froze. The pass skipped once and emerged toward the wing, exactly where John was moving.
He caught it in rhythm, the taller staff member turned too late— John released. Clean execution.
The defender looked at me as though I had personally violated the resort’s service agreement “Between my legs, sir?”
“You closed the path. I opened another door.” “That wasn’t a door.” “It was ball-sized.” John jogged back “That’s his definition.”
Yeji looked amazed despite clearly wishing to remain morally opposed “That was a little rude, Benjie.”
“It was team play.” Ryujin corrected me from the sideline “Team play through another person’s legs.”
Still effective.
Mina, who had been quietly watching patterns instead of personalities, pointed out that the pass worked because the defense had finally committed correctly. Tzuyu called it going under the door. Chaeyoung was already looking for paper. Dahyun only smiled. No imaginary microphone or announcement. I looked at her “What?”
“Nothing.” “That wasn’t nothing.” Her attention moved between John and me “It was nice.” I waited. She sighed, “Ben announces the danger. John just becomes it.” Jihyo looked toward him. Her expression said more than any joke could have. The staff scored again.
Eight to eight. Then nine to eight.
They were not going to make this easy. The taller player blocked my reverse layup at the rim and apologized immediately “You’re not sorry.”
“No, sir.” “At least you’re honest.” “I’m enjoying myself.”
The court laughed. I did not. Not immediately, then I did too. Because he was enjoying himself and so was I.
On the next possession, John drifted deeper than anyone should have been comfortable shooting. His defender backed away, giving him the kind of distance people offered when they believed space was protection. I passed and John caught it.
His body remembered before his confidence did. Feet set. Knees bent. Hands lifted. Jihyo said his name once. He released the shot. Then turned around before it even landed.
He did not look back, he did not need to. The sound told everyone— nothing but net.
The court forgot how to react for half a second. Then Yuna screamed. Nayeon nearly tore Jeongyeon’s shirt while demanding confirmation that he had turned away before the ball went in. Jeongyeon called it arrogant. Sana called it confidence. Lia decided quiet players were worse. Dahyun watched John more softly than the others “He forgot we were watching.”
That reached him. It reached me too. For the first time since the game began—perhaps for the first time since the vacation began—John had forgotten the audience before remembering himself.
Jihyo stared at him. He looked back as though he had not done anything unusual, “That was unnecessary,” she said.
“The shot?” John asked. “The turning around.” “I knew it was going in.” “That’s why it was unnecessary.”
Her face was pink. Mine was probably worse, “MY PARKER IS BACK!” John told me to stop. I informed him that turning around before the shot dropped had waived his right to denial. The staff defender pointed toward him “It looks like the shooter is finally awake.” his partner nodded, “I noticed.”
Ten to nine. In favor to us. Then they tied it, ten to ten. Win by two.
Off-duty staff had gathered near the court now. Someone brought more water. Someone else pretended to adjust towels while watching each possession. The staff were serious. Not angry or competitive.
John’s defender stayed attached to him. The taller one shaded toward my left. Every ordinary angle disappeared. I tried to drive.
Cut off. Attempted to reset and tried again. I got cut off, again. John moved from the corner to the wing and found neither open. Then he looked at me. Only once “You remember the stupid move?”
I stopped dribbling. Everyone noticed because it was the first time I had become quiet voluntarily. I smiled “I remember.”
“Can you still throw it?” I looked offended “You can still finish it?” John glanced at the defender pressed against him, then toward the rim “We’re about to find out.”
The spectators reacted badly to the fact that we both understood what stupid meant. I checked the ball. The defender narrowed his eyes “I don’t like that smile.”
“You shouldn’t.” Then I drove left. Of course I did. Everyone knew. Everyone expected it. That was the purpose. Being flashy made people believe I was inherently simple. Intentionally get my moves intercepted and try again more frantically— it made me look desperate. That I needed the shot more than I needed the defense to move.
The taller staff member remained attached to John, body angled enough to deny the pass while watching me.
John stepped back. Stopped, then began his shooting motion. Without the ball.
Confusion spread across the sideline. I did not look at him. That kept the defender’s attention on me. He thought John was performing a fake to give me breathing room. They were all assuming wrong.
I rose as though I intended to shoot, the defense lifted with me. Then I snapped my wrist sideways sending the ball into the space John’s hands were already moving through. No look. No hesitation. And unmistakably without doubt.
His fingers closed around the pass halfway through his motion. His body finished what it had already begun. The ball remained in his hands for less than a second.
Release. The arc towards the hoop. Then the sound of the drop.
Nobody moved. Not because they did not understand that it had gone in. Because they were still trying to understand how it had left his hands at all. The defender looked at the line, then the rim “That was outside.” His partner exhaled, “Two points.”
Twelve to ten. Game.
Noise broke over the court. Yuna screamed loudly enough to make one of the staff laugh. Nayeon shook Jeongyeon. Chaeyoung grabbed her pen before the shape of the play could escape. Tzuyu looked at John with quiet certainty, “He received the ball from the future.”
“Exactly.” John pointed at me “No.” “She understands the art.” “She’s making it worse.” “Art can be worse,” Tzuyu said.
Lia agreed, unfortunately. The staff defender remained near the line, hands on his knees “Sir, with all due respect— I was told this would be recreational.”
“It was.” “That wasn’t recreational.” “It became emotional.” “You warned us.” “I did.” He laughed “So that’s what you meant.”
I should have answered. Instead, I looked toward Yeji. She was still seated closest to the court, one hand covering part of her face and the other gripping her drink. Her face was pink. Smiling, watching me like she had just seen something inside me return.
That did something irresponsible to my judgment. I walked directly toward her. Yeji sat straighter “Benjie?”
I bent, caught her securely around the waist, and lifted her onto one shoulder. Her startled sound did not survive long enough to become a word, “Ben.”
“The play worked.” “I saw.” I adjusted my hold beneath her legs “You saw properly?” “I saw from the ground.”
Ryujin announced that I was collecting my prize. Lia objected to calling Yeji a prize. Ryujin clarified that she was only describing my behavior. Accurate.
Yeji’s arms had already settled around my shoulder for balance, even while she ordered me to put her down. I simply told her “No.”
“Benjie.” “I’m emotionally unavailable for reasonable requests.”
Someone diagnosed me with rich-man victory symptoms. Sana accused me of showing off for Yeji. She was correct.
I carried her back toward the court while she attempted to hide behind one hand. The effort failed because she was smiling too visibly. John stared at us, “What are you doing?”
“Celebrating.” “With Yeji on your shoulder?” “Yes.” “I tried to stop him,” Yeji said.
Lia denied this from the sideline. Yeji revised her statement, “I considered stopping him emotionally.”
That was not the same thing. I stopped in front of John and Jihyo “The old play worked.”
“I was there,” John said. “With witnesses.” “Yes.” “With my girlfriend elevated to an appropriate viewing angle.” Yeji covered my eyes “Please stop talking.” I smiled into her palm “Worth it.”
Jihyo looked from us to John. Something changed in her expression. Not teasing. Recognition “Oh.”
John narrowed his eyes “What?” “It’s just different watching from here.”
Yeji lowered her hand enough to meet Jihyo’s eyes. For one brief moment, the two of them understood something neither John nor I had been invited to understand. Concerning. I turned my head blindly toward him, “Best buddy, your girlfriend looks inspired.”
“She isn’t.” Jihyo’s smile widened “I might be.”
John’s breathing failed for reasons unrelated to basketball. The staff approached to ask about the final play. Their confusion remained sincere, “Did he begin shooting before you passed?”
“Yes.” “Why?” “Because he is my Parker.”
That explained everything emotionally and nothing mechanically. John rubbed his forehead. The taller staff member called it disrespectful to timing. Yuna remained fixed on the fact that John had shot before receiving the ball. Dahyun observed that this explained why I was yelling, then denied agreeing with me when I became excited.
Momo appeared in front of John with water. He accepted it immediately “Yes, ma’am.” Even I was not brave enough to challenge Momo after she entered hydration mode.
I finally lowered Yeji onto the court, keeping one arm around her waist after her feet touched the ground. Only for balance. Emotionally. She looked up at me, “You’re sweating.”
“That happens.” Yeji took the towel from her seat and placed it in my hand. Before letting go, she reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my forehead.
The court remained noisy around us.
The staff replayed the final possession in fragments. Yuna tried to understand how John had started shooting without the ball. Chaeyoung sketched angles. Mina explained that the pass had only worked because I forced the defense to commit. John drank water under supervision. Yeji looked only at me, “You’re smiling.”
“I had fun.” “I know.” “You watched?” “All of it.”
Behind her, Ryujin remarked that Yeji had lost me before breakfast. Lia said she had never had a chance. Yeji’s face warmed again, “I heard that.”
“We wanted you to,” Ryujin said.
I laughed. Worth it. The staff began gathering their things. Before leaving, the defender pointed toward John and me, “If you two come back, please tell us before breakfast.”
“Why?” “So we can stretch first.”
The court laughed. I did too. Then I looked at Yeji again. She was not smiling because we had won. Not because the old play had worked. Not even because I had carried her around like an emotionally compromised championship trophy.
She was smiling because she had watched me enjoy something I had not realized I missed.
The court receded around us. The score stopped mattering. Even the memories that had pulled John and me back together faded behind her. Yeji tilted her head “What?”
“Nothing.” Her eyes narrowed “That means something.” “It does.” “Are you going to tell me?” “Later.” She slipped her hand into mine “I’ll hold you to that.” “I know.”
And somehow, I looked forward to that more than I had enjoyed winning.
The walk back was slower. John had rediscovered muscles he had not formally spoken to in years, and Momo kept watching him as though dehydration might attack from the bushes.
Jihyo stayed beside him with one hand loosely around his wrist. She was not dragging him. She was checking his pulse, his balance, his breathing—whatever she could assess without admitting she was worried. John noticed eventually “I’m still alive.”
“I know.” “You keep checking.” “I’m allowed.”
He accused her of supervising emotional basketball. I informed him that emotional basketball was a recognized category “You’re the reason it became emotional,” he said.
“History made it emotional.” “You screamed.” “History screamed through me.”
His mouth twitched despite him. Not quite laughter. Close enough. Jihyo noticed too. Her thumb moved once against his wrist before she continued walking. Yeji was still holding my hand. Her thumb brushed my knuckles, “You really had fun.”
“I told you.” “You looked younger.” I glanced at her “That sounded dangerous.” “It wasn’t an age assessment.”
Ryujin leaned backward from two steps ahead and clarified that Yeji meant I looked happy, “I understood.”
“Then why are you arguing?” “Affection deserves clarification.”
Lia diagnosed it as defensive flirting. Yeji called the review poor. She smiled after saying it—small, proud of herself—and I briefly forgot that anyone else existed.
Lunch had already been arranged beneath the shaded dining area when we returned. Grilled fish, rice, soup, vegetables, fruit, and enough water to survive Momo’s supervision waited across the tables.
John lowered himself into a seat carefully, adjusted once, then again. Nayeon watched, “Your legs hurt.”
“My dignity hurts.” Not a denial. Momo placed another bowl of rice beside him. He stared at it “I already have rice.”
“This is recovery rice.” “Is that an actual category?” “It is now.”
Jihyo added fruit to his plate. John looked around at the women monitoring his recovery and accepted defeat. My best buddy was learning. Slowly. Under loving supervision.
I reached for the water pitcher at the same time as Yeji. Our hands touched. She pulled it closer and filled my glass. “I can pour water.” I told her.
“I know.” “That makes this romantic.” “It makes it water.”
She set the glass in front of me. Water from my girlfriend. John, overhearing, insisted it remained chemically ordinary. He was wrong spiritually.
Lunch moved more slowly than breakfast, though not quietly. The basketball game was reconstructed in pieces between bites. Yuna acted out John’s final shot three times. Her first version contained too much jumping. The second included an unnecessary turn. The third looked as though invisible weather had startled her.
“That isn’t what happened,” John said. “I’m interpreting.” “You’re inventing choreography.” “It needs stage presence.”
Chaeyoung had commandeered two napkins for diagrams. Mina corrected the passing angle with the end of her fork. Tzuyu repeated that John had received the ball from the future. I approved— John did not.
Yeji tried to remain uninvolved until I leaned close and asked whether she had enjoyed the elevated viewing angle. Her knuckles found my arm.
Ryujin immediately wanted to know what I had said. Yeji answered too quickly, so I told everyone. She covered my mouth with one hand “He’s done speaking.”
I nodded against her palm. Satisfied. Across the table, Jihyo watched us. Her attention moved from Yeji’s hand over my mouth to John, who was negotiating with a piece of fish as though it had betrayed him. Then she looked toward the recreation area “Badminton.”
John stopped chewing “No.” My head lifted “Badminton?” “No,” he repeated.
Jihyo reminded him that he had asked for physical activity. John reminded her that he had also expressed an interest in survival. Yeji sat straighter beside me, “I can play badminton.”
Ryujin’s eyes brightened. Yeji pointed at her before she could speak “No.”
A nearby staff member heard the word badminton and approached with a racket and shuttlecock, proving that the resort itself had joined the conspiracy. Yeji accepted both with excessive dignity. The shuttlecock slipped from her fingers, struck the edge of the table, tapped my water bottle, and landed inside the fruit bowl.
Everyone stared. The shuttlecock rested among the mango like it had chosen retirement. Yeji looked at it. Then at us, “Equipment failure.”
I had several jokes available. Every one of them endangered my afternoon more so my life. John studied the fruit bowl “It chose peace.”
Yeji pointed at him “No.” Jihyo leaned closer to her, entirely serious “I still believe you can play.” Yeji pointed at her instead “Thank you.” John looked between them and recognized danger “You two are leader sitting.”
That description made no mechanical sense and perfect emotional sense. Yeji’s confidence returned by one stubborn inch “If we’re playing, I want Benjie to actually play with me.”
My expression softened before I could stop it “I always play with you.” “No.” She glanced at the arm resting behind her chair “You carry me. You show off near me. You turn me into part of the celebration.”
I opened my mouth. Wisdom intervened. Yeji’s voice softened, “I want to win with my feet on the ground.” Several excellent jokes died heroically before reaching my mouth, “Then we win with your feet on the ground.”
Color rose into her face “If we win properly.” I straightened “Define properly.” “No carrying me after every point. No calling me victory.”
Pain. Wounded pride. Then her expression changed, “And don’t make me look like an accessory. I’m your partner.”
That landed differently. My girlfriend did not want to be held above the game. She wanted to stand inside it with me. I nodded “Partner.”
Yeji looked away for half a second “If we win like that, I’ll call you ‘babi’ for the rest of the day.”
The table stopped. So did I. John looked at her with immediate concern, “Yeji, you shouldn’t have said that. Ben has that look in his face now, the one that always leads to financial damages.”
Her cheeks darkened. “Only if we win under those conditions.” “Babi?” I asked. “Benjie.” “Your babi?” She covered half her face “Yes.”
I leaned closer “Babi wants a treat.” “You aren’t babi yet.” “Babi-adjacent.” “That is not a status.” “It’s a developmental stage.”
Yeji looked as though she regretted every decision that had led her to the table. Then she leaned forward and kissed me. Quick. Soft. Enough to stop my heart for reasons unrelated to exercise.
When she pulled away, her eyes remained steady despite the rest of her face turning red, “Earn babi first.”
I stood so quickly my chair almost followed. Yeji blinked “Benjie?” “I have never respected badminton more in my life.”
Ryujin announced that the treat economy had collapsed. Lia corrected her: it had evolved. I pointed toward the court “No carrying. No victory language. Partner badminton. Babi eligibility pending.”
Yeji made a small sound into her hands “I regret this.” “No, you don’t.”
Then Jihyo looked at John. He knew. I knew he knew.
Pride was dangerous. Pride after being publicly reclaimed as my Parker was worse. Pride combined with Jihyo looking at him as though she wanted to discover more forgotten versions of him was fatal, “One casual game,” John said.
Jihyo smiled. I pointed toward him “That’s how legends begin.”
“No legends.” “One casual legend.”
The badminton court was shaded enough to be humane and open enough for embarrassment to travel. John and Jihyo took one side. Yeji and I took the other. Everyone else gathered along the boundary with drinks and enough opinions to violate international broadcasting rights. Jihyo handed John a racket. He accepted it suspiciously.
“When I said physical activity, I imagined walking.” “We walked.” “For three minutes.” “And look what it led to.” “That is not a point in your favor.” “It is if you enjoyed it.”
John had no answer. Jihyo noticed. Her smile became quieter—not victorious, simply pleased. That seemed to affect him more. I spun my racket once. Yeji pointed at me “Casual.”
“Emotionally casual.” “Physically too.”
I prepared an argument. She lifted one eyebrow. That triggered a natural response from me for some reason, I spoke obediently “Understood.” Yeji blinked “Oh. That worked.” The nickname had apparently become a weapon. Soft warfare, Lia called it.
Nayeon announced a couples match. Tzuyu reminded everyone that the situation had already become strange when I carried Yeji around like a trophy.
Yeji looked wounded “I’m still here.” “Yes,” Tzuyu said. “On the ground.”
I must have appeared mournful because Yeji told me to stop looking as though someone had cancelled my parade “I’m celebrating your grounded independence.”
“You’re adjusting.”
Correct. I served first. Low and clean.
John returned with more control than I expected. Yeji took the next shot firmly, if not gracefully. Jihyo sent it back toward my right. I moved. Yeji moved too. We nearly collided.
I stopped first and let her take it. The shuttlecock clipped the frame of her racket, shot sideways, missed Ryujin’s face, and landed in Yuna’s drink.
Yuna looked at the feather floating beside her straw. Then at Yeji.
“Equipment failure,” Yeji said. Ryujin called it attempted murder. Lia pointed out that the court and Ryujin’s face existed in different directions. Yeji covered her face. I stepped beside her “No.”
She peeked between her fingers “No what?” “No embarrassment.” “I almost killed Ryujin.” “She survived.” “Barely,” Ryujin called. I lowered my voice “You wanted to play beside me.” Yeji looked at me “So play beside me.”
That steadied her. Not instantly. Her next return still went too high. But she moved earlier after that. She began calling short shots. She stopped apologizing whenever the shuttlecock struck the wrong part of her racket. We lost two points because I kept trying to protect her side. After the second, she turned toward me “That was mine.”
“I thought—” “That was mine.” Not angry. Not insecure. Certain. I nodded, “Yours.”
The next rally came toward the middle. My body started to move automatically. Then stopped. Yeji stepped in and sent the shuttlecock cleanly across the net. John returned it high. I moved backward. “Mine,” Yeji called. I let her take it.
Her shot traveled down the line. Jihyo barely reached it. The rally continued longer than any of us expected. John covered behind Jihyo. Jihyo moved forward without checking whether he would be there. He was. Not because he had to repair her position. Because that was his side.
His responsibility. Not hers. They were learning from each other in real time. So were we.
The score remained close, though nobody remembered it accurately. Nayeon invalidated several points for emotional reasons. Jeongyeon restored two. Dahyun attempted to establish an official review system. Mina corrected the count twice. Tzuyu refused to participate because the match was spiritually tied. Nobody understood. Everyone accepted it. Eventually, Dahyun announced game point. I lifted my racket, “Excellent.”
John pointed his toward me “You said casual.” “I am emotionally casual.” “You sound like a villain.” “Villains have excellent posture.” Yeji looked at me “Babi eligibility.”
My posture corrected immediately. The sideline accused me of being trained. Yeji did not deny it. Neither did I, and then I served.
Jihyo returned crosscourt. Yeji reached it and sent the shuttlecock high enough to hang between John and Jihyo. John moved first. Of course he did. Cover. Help. Fix. Do not let the point fall because you trusted someone else. Then Jihyo said, “Yours.”
Something changed. John stopped trying to protect both sides. He stepped forward and sent the shuttlecock down the line—not perfect, but placed.
I reached it at an angle that should have ended the rally and sent it back safely. Too safely. Jihyo read it, “Mine.”
John stopped. Actually stopped. Jihyo took the shot cleanly and sent it short. Yeji lunged for it. Her first step went wide. Her second corrected. Her third nearly betrayed her entirely, but she got the racket beneath the shuttlecock and lifted it just over the net. John was already there. Not too early. Not covering Jihyo’s side. His. He tapped it down. The shuttlecock struck the court.
For half a breath, nobody spoke. Then Nayeon screamed as though they had won an international championship. John looked at the line “We won?”
Dahyun pointed “You won.”
The others reacted around us, but I looked only at Yeji. She stepped closer, “You just lost babi eligibility.” Several appeals occurred to me. Wind conditions. Hostile officiating. Unverified scoring.
Im Nayeon.
All legitimate grounds. I ignored them, “I got to play with you.” Yeji blinked. I smiled “Still worth it.” Her expression softened. Then she kissed my cheek. I froze anyway.
The sideline announced that the treat economy had survived through deferred compensation. Yuna called it romantic and financially responsible. I touched the place Yeji had kissed “I accept the ruling.”
“No appeal.” “I respect the court.” “You don’t.” “I respect the badminton court.”
Across the net, Jihyo lowered her racket. John’s arms hung heavier. His legs looked worse. He remained standing anyway. Jihyo looked him over, “You kept up.”
“Barely.” “But you did.” “We won.” “That wasn’t what I meant.” John looked at her, “What did you mean?” She stepped closer “You listened.”
He had no joke. That was how I knew the point had landed somewhere important. Jihyo’s smile softened “Come on. Cooldown.” John immediately became suspicious, “Is that a real cooldown or another trap?”
“Yes.” “That wasn’t an answer.” “It was efficient.”
She caught his wrist and led him toward the spa. John looked back at us, “Help.” I lifted my racket “Parker, legends recover alone.”
“I hate you.” “Hydrate.” Momo held up another bottle “I have water for him.”
John stopped resisting. Correct choice.
The group began separating after that. Some followed John and Jihyo far enough to continue making their lives difficult. Others remained behind to argue about whether badminton qualified as recovery. The resort staff collected the rackets. The court emptied gradually. Yeji stayed beside me. On the ground. My partner. She looked toward the net, “You let me take my shots.”
“You told me they were yours.” “And you listened.” “I can be trained.” She turned toward me “No. You can trust.”
That was worse or better. Probably both. I took her hand. Behind us, Lia laughed at something Yuna said. Ryujin argued with the shuttlecock floating in Yuna’s drink as though it had personally offended her. Chaeryeong helped gather towels despite being told repeatedly that she did not need to.
For the first time that morning, nobody needed me to direct anything. Nobody needed a plan. Nobody needed protection. Yeji leaned against my arm “You still don’t get babi.”
“I know.” “You sound calm about it.” “I received deferred compensation.” She covered her face “You heard them.” “I learn from professionals.” Yeji looked at me through her fingers “You’re impossible.” “Groundedly impossible.”
She lowered her hands. Then laughed. That was enough. More than enough. The court had given us enough for one afternoon. Nobody objected when Yuna pointed toward the beach and asked whether walking counted as doing nothing. Lia said it did. Ryujin said walking was still technically movement. Chaeryeong reminded her that nobody was forcing her to come. Ryujin followed anyway.
We left the recreation area without deciding who was leading. Conversations rearranged themselves along the path. Yuna recruited Chaeryeong to help photograph the sunset. Ryujin and Lia stopped at a small resort stall after Ryujin found something she claimed was ugly enough to deserve documentation.
Yeji stayed beside me. That part seemed decided. The path opened toward the water. Afternoon had softened while we were playing, the sunlight lower now, the shoreline turning gold along its edges.
I knew how ITZY behaved in waiting rooms. I knew how they survived rehearsals, schedules, airports, interviews, and mornings that began before their bodies understood the concept. I had never seen what they did with an hour that belonged to nobody.
Apparently, Yuna took fifty photographs. Chaeryeong apologized to the sun whenever the lighting changed. Ryujin purchased the ugly object. Lia refused to carry it. And Yeji stopped in front of a hammock.
She examined it carefully. I examined her examining it, “No” I said. “I haven’t done anything.” “You’re considering something.” “So were you near the basketball court.” “That was different.” “You stopped with intent.”
Unfair. Yet accurate. She sat first. The hammock tilted immediately. Yeji caught both sides and looked at me with offended dignity. I remained supportive from a safe distance, “You could help.”
“I’m observing.” “Benjie.”
I sat beside her. The hammock punished both of us. It rolled toward the middle, pushing Yeji against my side while my arm went around her before either of us could pretend the result was accidental. She looked down at where we had collapsed together, “Well.”
“Successful deployment.” “You nearly threw us onto the sand.” “But I didn’t.” “That is a very low standard.” “Ground-level standards are important today.”
She covered her face. I was learning. The hammock settled once we stopped fighting it. Yeji stayed tucked against me, her head resting near my shoulder while the breeze moved loose strands of hair across her face. I brushed one back. She looked up “What?”
“Nothing.” “You’re staring.” “I’m appreciating the scenery.” “The ocean is over there.” “I have diversified interests.” Her mouth twitched “You still sound too happy for someone who lost.” “I spent the afternoon playing basketball with my best buddy and badminton with the love of my life.” “You lost a game with said love of your life.” “Details.” “You also lost babi.” “Deferred compensation.”
She laughed quietly and settled closer. The others remained somewhere within hearing distance. Yuna complained about Ryujin entering the background of another picture. Lia told Ryujin that holding the ugly souvenir higher did not improve it. Chaeryeong attempted to mediate between art and sabotage.
Nobody called for me. Nobody needed anything repaired. For a while, Yeji and I only watched the horizon change. Then the smell of dinner began moving across the resort.
Yeji inhaled “Momo will notice first.” “If we noticed, then she already has.”
Farther down the beach, Momo had stopped walking. She turned toward the dinner pavilion with absolute certainty. The rest of us followed. Of course we did.
We had enough time to shower and change before dinner. Not enough time for Yeji to stop accusing me of taking longer because I had checked my phone. There had been three messages.
Dinner moved quickly once everyone had plates. The badminton match was reconstructed several times, none accurately. Nayeon called it an historic comeback. Dahyun called it a tactical partnership adjustment. Chaeyoung called it romantic. Mina said those descriptions were not mutually exclusive. Tzuyu looked at me over her glass. “You’re quiet for someone who lost.”
“I’m reflecting.” Jeongyeon stared “You?” “I contain multitudes.” Ryujin leaned toward Lia “He wants someone to ask what multitudes.” “Don’t,” Lia said.
Beside me, Yeji reached for the pitcher before I could. She refilled my glass without a word, set it down, then returned to her plate with faintly pink cheeks. I looked at the water. Then at her. She did not look back. I picked up the glass with both hands.
Eventually, Momo looked inside the nearly empty pitcher “More water.” I started to stand. Yeji touched my wrist “Sit.”
“I can get it.” “You’ve been hovering all day.” “I hover lovingly.” “You hover loudly.”
I sat. John pushed his chair back “I’ll help.” They collected several glasses and carried the pitchers toward the drink station. I watched them leave. Not suspiciously. Observantly.
The station sat beyond a row of palms and a low wall, far enough away that I could see them without hearing anything. John spoke first. Yeji looked at him. She lifted the pitcher. Then stopped pouring. Only for a second. John said something else. Yeji’s attention moved toward our table. Toward me.
I considered looking away. I did not. Her face gave me nothing useful. Not confirmation. Not denial. Only the small, careful expression she used whenever she was protecting something without lying about it. John looked at me next. Understanding arrived before evidence. Oh… he knew.
The two of them returned carrying water and a conversation neither announced. Yeji placed the pitcher on the table, then leaned near my ear, “John knows.”
I kept my expression neutral. Mostly. I looked across at John. He was watching me. Not accusing. Not embarrassed. Something quieter— thankful, probably. Which was unacceptable in public.
I raised my glass. He raised his. No toast. No speech. Best buddies had survived for years without emotional transparency. There was no reason to begin recklessly during dinner. Yeji sat close enough for her knee to remain against mine beneath the table. That was probably why I did not mind being discovered.
Dinner slowed after that. The day began collecting itself from everyone at once. Conversations softened. Plates emptied. Yuna yawned and immediately denied it. Ryujin yawned several seconds later and claimed solidarity. Jihyo stood first, “My day.”
That settled whatever discussion might have followed. She took John’s wrist, though he rose before she had to pull. Growth. Momo offered him another bottle. Jihyo already had one. Momo approved.
As they left, John glanced back at me once. I nodded. He did too.
Then the others began separating in smaller groups. TWICE drifted toward their villas. Yuna attempted to extend the night before yawning again halfway through the proposal. Chaeryeong guided her away while Lia carried the things Yuna had forgotten. Ryujin passed us with the ugly souvenir tucked beneath one arm
“You bought it,” Yeji said. “It needed a home.” “It needed to remain at the stall,” Lia replied.
They disappeared down the path still arguing. Soon, only Yeji and I remained near the pavilion. I held out my hand. She took it and we walked back together.
The resort became quieter at night. Not silent. The ocean refused. But the pathways emptied, lights softened, and the villas stopped feeling like temporary rooms long enough to become somewhere people slept. Yeji remained beside me all the way to our door. Inside, she showered first.
I waited on the balcony long enough to answer the messages I had checked earlier and reject one meeting request for the following week. That felt irresponsible.
When I returned from my own shower, Yeji was already in bed. Wearing my shirt. I stopped. She looked up from her phone, “What?”
“That belongs to me.” “It was in your bag.” “My bag generally contains my belongings.” “You weren’t wearing it.” “I was showering.” “Then it was available.”
I stared at her. She stared back. Corporate negotiations had been lost under stronger circumstances. I climbed into bed. Yeji put her phone aside and moved toward me before I had fully settled. One leg crossed over mine. Her head found my chest. Her arm wrapped around my waist.
No hesitation.
Like we had done this long enough for her body to know where it wanted to be before the rest of her made the decision. I pulled the blanket over us. For a while, neither of us spoke. Her hair was still slightly damp against my shoulder. I ran my fingers through it slowly, separating strands whenever they caught. Yeji traced one line along my ribs beneath the shirt I still owned legally, if not physically. “John was thankful,” she said.
“I noticed.” “He hated that you gave something up for him.” “I didn’t.” She lifted her head “You lost.” “Officially.” “You wanted that reward.” “I still do.” Her eyes narrowed “Benjie.” I smiled “I wanted John to have the point more.”
The room quieted around that. Yeji studied my face as though she expected the joke to appear late. It did not. “He needed to know he could trust Jihyo,” I said, “Not just protect her. Trust her.” “And you knew he wouldn’t understand if you told him.”
“He would have built a spreadsheet explaining why he already understood.” “That sounds like him.” “With supporting data.” “Definitely him.” I brushed my thumb along her cheek “He needed to feel it.”
Yeji lowered her eyes “And babi?” A difficult question, “Babi was a severe financial loss.” She pushed lightly against my chest, “I’m serious.”
“So am I. The market may never recover.” “Ben.”
I exhaled. Then answered properly, “I didn’t sacrifice anything that mattered more than him getting that moment.” Her expression softened. I continued before it became too dangerous “And I already got what I wanted.”
“What?” “You trusted me enough to play beside me.” Her lips parted slightly, “You let me stop protecting your side,” I said. “You told me what was yours. You expected me to listen.”
“I did.” “And I did.”
She watched me for another moment. Then climbed higher. Not away. Over me. One knee settled on either side of my hips as she leaned down, hands resting against my chest. My brain attempted several interpretations. Yeji removed all of them with one look, “No escalating.”
“I have not escalated.” “Your brain did.” “I’m beneath my girlfriend while she wears my shirt.” “Our shirt.”
She lowered herself until her body rested against mine. Not suggestively. Not entirely unsuggestive. Warm. Close.
Her face disappeared against my neck while both arms slipped beneath my shoulders. She hugged me with her whole body, holding tightly enough that the joke waiting in my mouth quietly died.
I wrapped my arms around her. That was different. Not the dramatic kind of closeness. No performance. No audience waiting to react. Nothing for me to turn into a spectacle because I was afraid of how much the quieter version meant. Just Yeji holding me like she had decided I deserved to be kept too “You gave up your reward to your best friend,” she murmured against my skin.
“I gave him a point.” “You gave him the win.” “Allegedly.” “You are impossible.”
She lifted her head. I expected the usual look. Instead, she kissed me. Slowly.
No challenge inside it. No game. Her mouth stayed against mine long enough for my hands to tighten instinctively at her waist, then softened before the kiss could become anything else. When she pulled back, our foreheads remained together, “You lost babi eligibility,” she whispered.
Pain. Historical tragedy. “I remember.” “You did not earn the match reward.” her fingers moved into my hair “But John was right.”
That was concerning “About?”
“You chose something quietly because you thought nobody would notice.” “John noticed.” “I noticed too.” “I’m constantly surrounded by surveillance.”
She almost smiled. Then she took one of my hands and guided it beneath the loose hem of the shirt. My fingers met the warm skin of her waist. Nothing more. Yeji placed my palm there and held it in place, “Just hold me.”
I did. She lowered herself beside me again, tucking close with one leg between mine and her face against my chest. We fit without discussing it. That felt more intimate than several things human resources would have objected to. Her fingers drew one slow circle over my sternum. Then stopped “Goodnight,” she murmured.
“Goodnight, partner.” Silence. Her breathing began to settle. I closed my eyes. Then, so quietly I almost thought sleep had invented it—
“Goodnight, babi.” My eyes opened. Yeji immediately covered my mouth with one hand, “One time.”
I kissed her palm. Her face warmed against my chest, “No negotiating.” I nodded beneath her hand “No appeal.”
She slowly removed it and I pulled her closer, my hand still resting against the bare skin of her waist beneath our shirt. Her arm tightened around me once.
Tomorrow still existed. The rest of the vacation waited beyond the room with all the emotional consequences it had not finished delivering. But none of it needed me yet. Sleep arrived before I could ruin that with another thought.
Morning found Yeji exactly where sleep had left her.
Half on top of me. One leg across mine. One arm around my waist. Her face tucked beneath my chin while my hand remained beneath the shirt she had stolen. Our shirt. Shared ownership had survived the night. Sunlight pressed softly through the curtains. The ocean continued outside, apparently unaware that its services were no longer required. I looked down at her. Yeji’s eyes stayed closed. “You’re staring,” she murmured.
“Your eyes are closed.” “I can feel it.” “Advanced leadership instinct?”
She shifted closer instead of moving away. Excellent. My thumb moved once against her waist. Her hand immediately caught mine “No.”
“I moved one finger.” “You were becoming confident.” “I was thinking about last night.” Her grip tightened “It was one time.” “I didn’t say anything.” “You were going to.” “I was remembering privately.”
She lifted her head just enough to glare at me through sleep-messy hair. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Her expression softened despite an obvious effort not to let it, “I love you,” I said.
“That does not restore babi eligibility.” “I love your commitment to consistent enforcement.”
She buried her face against my chest again. We stayed there until my phone alarm gave us its second warning. Yeji sighed, “Breakfast.”
“We could remain here.” “They’ll come looking.” “Security can manage them.”
“Ryujin knows where we sleep.” I sat up immediately. That sentence provided a real danger that required immediate decisive action.
We reached breakfast on time. A meaningless achievement. The table had already turned one hypothetical pregnancy into a public inquiry, and John was losing control of the proceedings. Nayeon booed with both hands around her mouth. Dahyun joined like she was reporting live from the collapse of a government. Momo booed once, then pushed John’s water closer.
Even Yeji looked offended on Sana’s behalf, “She would have been pregnant, John.” “She was not pregnant.” “But if she were,” Yeji said, “you should not have made her plan emotionally alone.” John pointed at her “You are dangerous when hypotheticals involve babies.” I nodded solemnly beside her “She is correct.” “You too?” “Especially me.” “You invented a child six minutes into beach lunch.” “And I stood by the mother.”
Yeji turned red “Benjie.”
“Yes, love?” “Do not make that sound noble.” “It was noble.” “It was alarming.” “It can be both.”
John looked around the table, “I cannot singlehandedly get every member of TWICE pregnant. Even as a joke, I would be murdered by several million ONCEs before the second announcement.”
“Protection can be arranged.” The table stopped. John turned toward me slowly, “Ben…”
“I can provide private security, legal support, controlled transport, residence management, and, if necessary, international relocation.” Jihyo pointed at me “Good. Security concern addressed.”
“No, not good.” Nayeon raised her glass in my direction “Thank you for your commitment.” “Reliable,” Momo agreed. Dahyun made a small approving motion “Protection secured.” Mina looked thoughtful “With that level of infrastructure, the risk decreases.” “Mina.” “I said decreases. Not disappears.” Jeongyeon sighed “I hate that everyone sounds professional.” Chaeyoung smiled “That makes it worse.” Tzuyu looked at John “You have fewer excuses now.” John stared at all of them “You are telling me to man up because Ben offered security?”
Sana smiled “And because you abandoned me in the first scenario.” Jihyo patted his hand, “Then consider this your chance to improve.”
“You are enjoying this too much.” “I am.” “That is irresponsible.” “I am on vacation.”
John went quiet. Apparently, Jihyo had found the phrase that defeated him. Yeji had been red and unusually silent beside me. Then she said, “Hana will have a lot of friends.” The table did not freeze at Hana. Enough people already knew about her. That was somehow more dangerous. Nayeon made a delighted sound, “She brought Hana into this.” Ryujin leaned back “Unnie, we are not making playdates with imaginary children.”
Yeji lifted her chin “Why not?” “Because the children are imaginary,” Lia said.
“Well, Hana would be surrounded by a lot of friends then.” Yeji looked toward John with dangerous sincerity. “John, don’t you want to see Hana happy?”
He stared at her “You are using a hypothetical child against me?”
“I am thinking about her social development.” I looked at Yeji like she had just personally improved the future “Babe, that is very responsible of you.”
“Do not encourage her,” Ryujin said. Chaeryeong looked between us, “But what if it is not Hana?”
Yeji blinked. Everyone noticed. Lia’s attention sharpened immediately “You mean if it is a boy?”
Yeji looked at me. I expected retreat. Instead, she doubled down— something that has been reoccurring in this vacation, “And Jiho too, if it is a boy.”
Everything stopped. Including me. Ryujin turned toward her, “Jiho?” Yuna gasped loudly enough that Chaeryeong grabbed her arm “There is a boy name?” Lia looked between us “That one was not public.”
Yeji’s face grew pinker “I know.” I stared at her “You said Jiho.” “You said Hana first before.” “That was private.” “This is breakfast.”
I opened my mouth. Nothing arrived. The name had belonged to us. Something quiet we had touched once and then protected by not speaking about it too often. Now Yeji had placed it on the table beside Hana. Not accidentally.
She had invited everyone into one more room of the future she wanted with me. I inhaled carefully. Then turned toward John, “I have a lot of planning to do for playdates.”
He blinked “That is your reaction?” “My child deserves a social calendar.” “Your child does not exist.” “Yet.”
Yeji covered her face “Benjie.” “Yes, love?” “Please stop looking like you are about to build a daycare.”
I paused. Then glanced at John, “Do you think a daycare near the resort would be useful?” “No.” “Depending on scale—” Mina murmured. “NO.”
Tzuyu looked at Yeji “If you have twins, you can use both.” Yeji made a small sound and dropped her forehead onto my shoulder. Not embarrassed. Worse— hopeful.
She lifted her head again, eyes brighter than anything else at the table “Can we, Benjie?” she asked softly. “Really?” My heart stopped performing basic duties. Across from us, Ryujin slowly lowered her fork “Oh no.” Lia’s posture changed slightly. Bracing for impact. Reasonable. I looked at Yeji.
“If you want twins, then I would gladly give you twins.” Her lips parted, “If you want one, we will have one. If you want two, we will have two. If you want more than that, then I will spend the rest of my life making sure every single one of them knows they were wanted before they existed.”
The table went quiet. Completely. Yeji’s face turned red, “You cannot just say things like that at breakfast.” I glanced at John “Apparently breakfast has changed rules.”
“That is my line.” Jihyo patted his hand, “You lost rights to that line a while ago.”
I looked back at Yeji. Still overwhelmed. Still smiling. Then my attention moved to Lia. She was watching us more quietly than the others “And if we have a second girl,” I said, “I think we should name her after Lia.”
Lia blinked. Once. Twice. To her that was the equivalent of falling down a flight of stairs.
Ryujin turned toward her immediately “Oh, you felt that.” “I did not.” “You absolutely did.”
Lia lifted her glass, composed except for the way she held it slightly too tightly “I am honored, but I would like to clarify that covering for you at the cabana was an act of friendship, not a naming contract.”
“It was important,” Yeji said. “You protected our future,” I added. “I protected your lack of subtlety.”
Yuna clasped both hands beneath her chin, “Awww, a Lia baby.” Lia closed her eyes, “Please never say that ever again.” Chaeryeong smiled softly “It is sweet, though.” “It is alarming.” Sana leaned toward her “You are touched.” “I am legally uncomfortable.” Momo nodded “She is touched.”
Tzuyu regarded Lia calmly “If they name a child after you, you have to babysit.” Lia’s eyes opened “No.”
Yeji was still half-hidden against my shoulder “Only sometimes.” Lia pointed at her, “You are not allowed to look cute while negotiating childcare.”
Ryujin laughed “She got you.” “She did not.”
Nayeon finally recovered enough to raise her glass “To Lia, future namesake and unwilling babysitter.” “I refuse the second title.”
Lia raised her glass anyway. I leaned closer to Yeji, “Hana, Jiho, and maybe Lia.” She made another small sound and hid against me again. Life expectancy improving. Ryujin groaned, “He is going to be impossible now.”
“He was already impossible,” Lia said, still holding her glass too tightly. “Yes,” Ryujin agreed. “But now he has names and emotional justification.”
Lia looked at me briefly. It was not only embarrassment in her expression. Something softer sat beneath it. Being included had reached her more deeply than she wanted the table to know. I stored that carefully.
The table returned to its separate disasters.
Sana defended her former record with legal passion. Mina and Dahyun refined a scoring system nobody had authorized. Chaeyoung attempted to recover the napkin family tree from Jeongyeon. Tzuyu added rice to John’s plate while he was distracted.
I leaned toward Yeji “We should consider age distribution when planning playdates.” Her forehead dropped against my shoulder, “You are not planning playdates.”
Across the table, Lia watched John and Jihyo release each other’s hands before lowering her attention to her drink. Nayeon leaned back “So.”
John looked at her immediately. “No.” She smiled “Jihyo’s day is officially complete.” “Successfully,” Jihyo said, raising her glass.
Sana objected. Dahyun amended the record to successfully disputed. John rejected the entire hearing. The table was still laughing when Mina set down her cup, “I think it is my turn.” John looked at her, and his body made the mistake of relaxing “Quiet day?” he asked.
“It can be quiet.” He should have stopped there. Mina let her eyes travel over him once “I did not say subtle.”
Chaeyoung hid a smile in her drink. Dahyun announced Sharon’s attendance for Lia and the younger members, who had apparently missed previous demonstrations.
Mina ignored them “You look tired.” “Physically, I am from yesterday.” “Good.” John blinked as she continued on, “It may finally stop you from pretending you do not need care.”
She said it without performance. That made it land harder than anything Nayeon or Sana might have shouted. Lia went still across the table. Mina had booked the morning already. She intended to spoil him, publicly enough that nobody could mistake what she wanted, and privately enough that none of it could escape the resort.
Ryujin and Yuna inhaled together, “Not shy, not me—” “ITZYYYY!”
Yeji looked like she wanted to apologize to the architecture. Mina remained amused “Was that incorrect?” Technically, it was not.
John looked from the two offenders back to Mina. “Am I in danger?” “No.” Her smile softened, “Let me take care of you.”
She stood and offered him her hand. John hesitated for half a second before taking it. Jihyo released the other beneath the table, brushing her thumb once across his knuckles. “Try vacation,” she said. “You might survive it.”
Momo supplied the final orders as though transferring custody. Feed him. Hydrate him. Do not accept I am fine without supporting evidence. Mina agreed to everything.
She led John from the pavilion while everyone watched them disappear between the palms. Lia watched longer than most and before they completely left, she was able to ask “Can I check in you two later?” Mina heard her and answered without turning. “Okay.”
No question. No territorial pause. She simply left space for Lia to use if she chose. Yeji’s knee touched mine beneath the table. We had both noticed. She stood and held out her hand “Come on.”
“Where?” “Somewhere you cannot intervene.” “I have done nothing.” “Your face was preparing a strategy.” “My face is proactive.” “Benjie.”
I stopped being difficult and let her lead me away. The morning did not require a purpose after that. Yeji found a shaded bench in the garden, took my phone after the third time I checked it, and placed it beneath her thigh “This is theft.”
“This is vacation.” “I may receive messages.” “They will continue existing.”
That is dangerous philosophy. The resort moved beyond the shade in quiet pieces. Voices carried from the pool. Ryujin and Yuna argued about something Chaeryeong had apparently been assigned to supervise. Staff crossed the paths without needing me.
Lia did not appear. I did not search for her. I only noticed every path she failed to walk down. Yeji noticed me noticing and offered the rare mercy of silence. Near noon, she returned my phone “Coffee.”
“I already had coffee.” “I want coffee.”
An excellent proposal. The garden café sat behind flowering shrubs and wooden privacy screens. We were approaching from the side when Yeji slowed.
John and Mina had just left the resort boutique. They matched. Not obviously, that would have been less dangerous. John wore a soft blue shirt that looked selected rather than purchased. Mina’s dress answered it quietly, the colors close enough that someone had to pay attention before understanding what they had done.
Lia was paying attention. She stood near the path with a drink in one hand, studying the shirt, the dress, their joined hands, and the bracelet on Mina’s wrist.
Mina said something we could not hear. Lia went still. Then all three turned toward the café. Yeji looked at me.
“Coffee?” I asked. “Quietly.”
We entered through the opposite side and chose a table hidden behind a flowering partition. This was not surveillance.
It was spatial coincidence with excellent acoustics.
A server brought our drinks. On the other side of the leaves, John asked whether Mina had arranged this too. She had. He called her terrifying. She reminded him he had been dehydrated.
Best-buddy hydration remained under competent management.
Then the silence beyond the screen changed. Lia spoke first “How do you do that?”
“Spoil him?” “No.” A pause. “Want something where people can see.”
My hand stopped around my cup. Yeji’s fingers settled over mine.
“I know it sounds stupid,” Lia said. “It does not,” Mina answered.
No hesitation. No room for Lia to argue herself smaller. Mina asked whether this was about me. Lia released a quiet breath “When is it not?”
Something in my chest forgot its assignment. I looked toward the partition. Yeji tightened her hand—not restraining me yet, only reminding me that the conversation did not belong to me.
“Ben wants like he already decided he can survive the consequences,” Lia said. John answered before judgment could stop him, “That sounds like him.”
I looked at Yeji, offended. She remained deeply unsurprised.
“And I do not know how to step toward that without feeling like I have to become that,” Lia continued. The joke available to me disappeared. I had spent so long refusing to make my love unclear that I had never considered what it looked like from beside me; not certainty, but scale— to Lia it was a stage she thought that she needed to fill.
“I am not afraid of him,” she said “nor am I afraid of wanting him either.” “What are you afraid of?” Mina asked.
The café returned while Lia searched for the answer. Ice moved inside a glass. Leaves shifted against the partition, “That my want is too small compared with his.”
I began to stand. Yeji caught my wrist “Listen.” I remained seated against several superior instincts. Mina did not rush to reassure Lia “You do not have to match the size of someone’s love,” she said “You only have to stop hiding the shape of yours.”
My eyes closed. There it was, the truth I would have ruined by delivering too loudly.
John spoke next. “If the step is small, give him the small step. Nobody needs two Bens. The resort would collapse.”
I looked at Yeji, “That was unnecessary.” “Still accurate” she insisted.
John continued, unaware that his betrayal had crossed a wooden screen “He only needs to know where you actually are. If it is one honest thing, he will hold it like one honest thing.”
I would. A sentence. A hand offered instead of withdrawn. A door left open.
Mina’s voice softened “One is not small if it is true.” The quiet lasted then Lia said, “I think I can give him one.”
A chair shifted. She was standing. John told her she did not need to cross the entire bridge today. “I know,” Lia said. “But I think I am ready to stop standing on the same side.”
Her footsteps approached. Yeji pulled my hand beneath the table before Lia passed the opening in the screen. I saw only part of her through the leaves: fingers tight around her glass, shoulders still carrying nerves, but her stride decided.
She disappeared along the path without knowing I had heard. I started to rise. Yeji kept hold of my wrist, “Not yet.”
“She is leaving.” “I can see that.” “I should—” “No.”
Leader quiet, so I sat. Yeji waited until the footsteps had faded before releasing me.
“Did I make her feel small?” Her expression softened “You made your love impossible to misunderstand. Lia thought she had to answer in the same language.”
“I never asked her to.” “She knows that now.” “I could tell her.” “You cannot do anything quietly when you are emotional.”
Unverified. Mostly accurate.
“She chose one honest thing,” Yeji said. “Let her choose what it is.” “And when she does?” “Do not turn it into ten.” “I understand numbers.” “Yesterday, you tried to convert a nickname into a permanent contract.” “That was precedent.” “It was bedtime.” “Historic bedtime.”
Her mouth twitched. Then she looked toward the path Lia had taken, her attention sharpening into something organized.
“Yeji, you’re planning something.” “I’m listening.” “That sounded evasive.” “It was efficient.”
Jihyo’s influence remained widespread. I finished my coffee. For once, I allowed the woman I loved to make a plan without demanding access to it. We returned to the pavilion through the side path. Lia was already there beside Chaeryeong, listening while Yuna described something requiring circles, height, and an explosion. She looked normal. Which meant nothing. Lia had always been good at keeping private things from disturbing the surface.
When her eyes found mine, however, they stayed one breath longer. Not the honest thing. Only awareness. I gave her a small smile—nothing large enough to suggest that I knew. Her shoulders loosened.
Lunch assembled beneath Momo’s authority.
John and Mina arrived together, still matching, and the entire table noticed with enough restraint to make the attention worse. Nayeon managed one syllable before John objected, “You weaponize syllables.”
Mina took the seat beside him. “We match softly.” That was somehow more threatening than denial.
The meal became an organized effort to ensure John remained alive. Momo controlled the dishes. Tzuyu repaired every visible space on his plate with rice. Jihyo informed him he was permitted to rest after lunch as though she had negotiated directly with his nervous system.
Mina’s hand stayed near his. Sometimes touching. Sometimes not. The space never looked empty. Lia watched without envy. She was studying proof. Mina had not become someone else in order to want publicly. John did not disappear beneath the attention. They were simply allowing the room to see what already existed.
John filled Mina’s glass. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and let his fingers remain against her cheek “You look pretty.”
“My beauty deserves more than that.” then John kissed her temple.
Ryujin and Yuna prepared another song reference until Yeji raised her chopsticks. The threat ended. Later, Mina told John she liked the way he was caring for her
“The food?” “You.” she corrected him.
His hand stopped around his glass. She continued eating as though she had not just removed several internal supports. Lia saw that too. Near the end of lunch right after John and Mina left to continue on with their day,
Dahyun leaned across the table “I need Ben.” I pointed at myself. “That phrasing creates concern.” “I need to borrow Ben.” “Improved grammar. Same concern.”
She wanted photographs from the western trail before the light changed. The excuse was poor enough that I looked at Yeji.
“Can I borrow him?” Dahyun asked. “Yes.” I turned to her. “You approved very quickly.” “She asked politely, Benjie. What did you want me to do?”
Behind her, Lia remained focused on her drink. Ryujin had begun noticing. Yuna had noticed Ryujin noticing. The ecosystem was deteriorating.
Yeji turned smoothly toward them, “Chaeryeong needs help choosing something from the activity board.” Chaeryeong looked up. “Eh? I do?”
Yeji met her eyes for only a moment. “Yes,” Chaeryeong corrected “I do.”
Ryujin and Yuna were evacuated under protest. Dahyun hooked two fingers around my sleeve. I leaned closer to Yeji, “Babe, what are you doing?”
“Trust me.” I did. That was the problem with loving Yeji. Two words from her could make obedience feel like the smartest available decision. At the edge of the path, I looked back. Only once. Yeji had taken the seat beside Lia. She did not speak immediately. She only sat close enough for Lia to decide whether to close the remaining distance.
Lia looked at her. Then released a breath. Dahyun pulled harder, “No surveillance.”
“I was observing.” “You were emotionally loitering.” “That is not a crime.” “With you, it is intent.”
Breakfast law had survived into the afternoon.
The western trail opened above the water. Dahyun placed her camera on the railing without taking a photograph and produced a small notebook from her bag.
DAHYUN DAY: HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL BOYFRIEND OPERATIONS
Hearts surrounded the title. One wore sunglasses. I respected the professionalism, “You lied about the photographs.”
“I still intend to take them.” “For what?” “My day.”
Of course. Dahyun wanted it loud. Obnoxious. Memorable enough that John would have no choice but to remember her at full volume.
A worthy objective, one that I would sacrifice a few investment portfolios to see happen.
Her notes already contained timelines, possible public incidents, and methods of preventing Manager John from appearing. One rejected proposal simply read:
BANNER? TOO NORMAL.
“I have ideas,” she said. “I need tactics.” “And I am your consultant?” “You are the most obnoxiously loving man I know.” I placed a hand against my chest. “Thank you.” “That was not entirely praise.” “Just let me take the compliment, Dahyun.”
The playfulness remained, but the reason underneath it did not hide. John turned love into procedure whenever it became too visible. Dahyun wanted to make hiding impossible without making him feel mocked. That required precision.
“Being loud is not the same as being vague,” I told her. “A sign saying you love him will embarrass him. A sign listing the things he does when he thinks nobody notices will reach him.”
She wrote: LOUD ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE. SPECIFIC ENOUGH FOR HIM.
“Do not make him the joke,” I added. “They can laugh at what you are doing. Not at what he feels.” Dahyun nodded more slowly and underlined the point.
She had already planned to remove his phone, schedules, staff duties, bags, and emergency responsibilities. Jihyo would handle actual problems. Momo controlled food. Jeongyeon controlled escape routes. Tzuyu would provide devastating reason if required.
Strong infrastructure, worth my seal of approval.
“If I remove everything, he’ll become uncomfortable.” “Yes.” She waited for the rest, “That is the beginning. Then give him another job.” “Like what?” “Be your boyfriend.”
Her pen paused, “Hold your hand. Follow you. Judge your terrible decisions. Let you feed him. Something that belongs to the two of you.”
She wrote: REPLACE JOB WITH BOYFRIEND.
Then came the noise. Announcements. Signs. Matching clothes. A microphone she had already packed despite not needing one. I approved.
“But at some point,” I said, “the noise has to stop.”
Her expression softened as I continued, “Give him one moment with no audience and no joke waiting after the sentence. Tell him what all of this means.”
“I want him to know I can love him loudly.” “Then tell him.” “That sounds simple.” “It will be harder than the microphone.”
She did not argue.
For all the performance, Dahyun understood private courage better than most people gave her credit for.
“I want the day to feel like me,” she said. “I want him embarrassed. I want everyone exhausted. I want at least one staff member reconsidering their career.”
“Reasonable.” “But I do not want him thinking I am doing it so everyone believes he belongs to me.” She looked down at the notebook “I want him to know I am proud that I belong with him.”
There it was. The sentence beneath the production. “That it’s your day,” I said “Everyone and everything else is design.”
She studied me. Then asked the question more carefully, “You love all of ITZY.”
“I do.” “But Yeji is different.” “Yes.” “How do you make something loud without placing the person you love most beside it?”
I looked back toward the resort, “I do not place her beside anything. I build from what already exists with her.”
Dahyun waited.
“Yeji does not become smaller because I love someone else. She is the person I see when I think beyond the next schedule. Everything else remains honest beside that. It does not compete with it.”
“And John?” “John tries to turn love into responsibilities because responsibilities can be measured.” “Ugh, that sounds like him.” “Your day should not ask him to rank anyone. It should only ask him to be completely yours while he is with you.”
“That is what the rotation means.” “Yes.” “He keeps forgetting.” “Yes.”
Her smile returned “Then I remind him.” I pointed back at her, “Obnoxiously.” “Now you understand.”
Apparently, I had graduated from consultant to collaborator. We spent the next hour scouting locations. Wind ruined the western lawn. Echoes ruined the recreation pavilion. A terrace between the garden and beach offered shade, room for witnesses, and a portable announcement board already waiting nearby.
Dahyun fell in love with the board.
TODAY’S FEATURED BOYFRIEND: JOHN
Below it: PLEASE DO NOT ASSIGN HIM TASKS. HE IS BUSY BEING LOVED.
“That one stays, definitely.” I said. Her expression softened before she covered the message with enough hearts to restore the correct level of psychological damage. By the time we returned, the light had warmed.
Ryujin’s laughter reached us first.
Yuna had trapped herself inside an inflatable pool ring large enough to qualify as minor transport. Chaeryeong held her sandals and attempted to provide instructions while Ryujin lost structural control nearby.
Yeji sat beneath the shade, Lia was beside her.
Their conversation had already ended or changed shape. Yeji held a cold drink. Lia looked composed enough that nobody would have known her afternoon had been arranged around courage. Except I had heard the cost of that composure through a wall of flowers.
Yeji saw me first. I gave her the smallest nod. Successful distraction. Lia looked at me next. She did not look away— That was new. Not a declaration. Only a decision not to disappear. I kept walking rather than turning it into more than she had offered.
Dahyun photographed the inflatable disaster. Chaeryeong and she eventually extracted Yuna without damaging either the ring or what remained of her dignity.
I sat beside Yeji. Her hand found mine immediately, “What did Dahyun want?”
“Professional consultation.” “In love or obnoxiousness?” “Yes.”
Lia smiled into her drink. The smile was small, but it was not hidden.
“Hostile assessment,” I said. Lia corrected, “Professional.”
Dahyun confirmed that Lia understood the consultancy. Eventually, the group began moving toward the villas to prepare for dinner. For one brief moment, only Yeji, Lia, and I remained beneath the palms.
Lia adjusted her grip on her glass, “I should get ready.” “We have time,” Yeji said. “I know.”
Something passed between them. Not permission. A reminder of a decision already made. Lia turned to me “See you at dinner.” Four ordinary words. Still, she held my eyes while saying them. “See you there.”
She walked away before I could make the answer larger. Yeji allowed me to watch until the path curved. Then she slipped her arm through mine “Come on, Chief Obnoxious Love Officer.”
I looked at her. “You heard that?” “Dahyun sent review notes.” “Confidentiality has collapsed.” “You looked emotionally cornered.” “I was being respected.”
Yeji rested her head briefly against my arm “Did you help her?”
“Yes.” “Good.” “And you?” She kept walking “I helped someone too.” No name required.
Dinner gathered the group again. Lia sat near Chaeryeong while Dahyun displayed several pieces of photographic evidence against me. She looked up when Yeji and I entered. Her eyes found mine. Then Yeji’s. A check passed between them. I sat and did nothing. Growth remained painful.
Mina and John arrived still wearing the clothes they had chosen for each other. Lia noticed, but the attention no longer looked like someone observing an impossible skill. She was remembering instructions. One honest thing.
During dinner, John began returning the care Mina had spent all day giving him. He moved dishes toward her before she asked. Filled her glass. Tucked her hair behind her ear. Mina told him she liked him. He survived.
Later, he offered her a bite from his fork and accepted one from hers. When she laughed, he kissed her cheek because he wanted to, not because she had requested proof. Lia watched without hiding that she was watching.
Near the end of the meal, Mina tried to care for John again. He moved the last piece of fruit onto her plate first.
“I can take care of you and eat,” she told him. “I know.” “Then why did you stop me?” “Because I wanted to take care of you too.” Mina went still “I thought you were already doing that.” “I was practicing.” “And now?” “Now I understand.”
John lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles where the entire table could see, “No hiding.” Mina smiled “No hiding.”
Lia released one quiet breath. I heard it because I had been listening for her all day. After dinner, John stood first and held out his hand to Mina. She looked briefly surprised before taking it. They left together. Lia watched them disappear. Yeji watched Lia. I watched Yeji watching Lia.
Advanced relationship surveillance.
The table broke apart gradually. Jihyo left with Momo and Tzuyu. Jeongyeon removed Chaeyoung before she could recover the napkin family tree. Nayeon and Sana departed while debating whether Mina’s day required formal review.
Lia stood, “I’m tired.”
Nothing unusual. Nothing anyone could make into an event. Ryujin looked from her to Yeji, intelligence beginning to become dangerous. Dahyun placed her phone between Ryujin and Yuna, “I need opinions.” The threat was neutralized through photographs of my suffering.
Lia looked toward Yeji. Yeji gave the smallest nod. Then Lia looked at me, “Goodnight, Ben.”
“Goodnight.” She walked toward the villas and trusted the rest of us not to follow. Nobody turned her choice into evidence, that was because Chaeryeong was choosing evidence in a different form as of the moment. Chaeryeong remained with the others, helping choose photographs without being asked to carry an emotional conclusion that did not belong to her.
Yeji and I returned to our room in silence. Inside, she closed the door. I turned toward her.
“Now?” Her eyebrows lifted. “Now what?” “You have been arranging people since lunch.” “I told you I was listening.” “You moved half the resort without anyone understanding why.” “Dahyun moved you.” “With your authorization.” “She asked politely.”
Suspicious efficiency. Yeji came closer and placed her hands against my chest, “Lia needs something from you.” Everything inside me stopped exactly “What?”
“She is in her room.” “What does she need?” “She needs to tell you.”
The café returned. One honest thing. A small step. The bridge. I moved toward the door. Yeji caught my hand, “Benjie.”
I turned. Her face was calm. Certain enough to hurt. “I love you.” She had said it before. That was not why it stopped me. It was where she placed it— immediately before sending me toward someone else.
Not reassurance. Not permission. A truth she wanted standing between us before anything changed.
“You helped her,” I said. “I listened.” “Lia chose?” “She chose.”
That was the distinction. Yeji had cleared a path. She had not pushed Lia down it. I stepped closer and touched her cheek. I loved all five of them. Not identically, but honestly. Yeji was the woman I saw in every version of life after the schedules ended. The woman I wanted a future with. That did not make the others smaller. It made the difference truthful.
“I love you.” I told her back. “I know.” “Dangerous confidence.” “You are still standing here.” “I am appreciating my girlfriend.”
She leaned into my hand, kissed me, and rested her forehead against mine, “Go listen to Lia.” I kissed her forehead, then her mouth once more because efficiency had limits. She pushed gently against my chest “Do not overwhelm her.”
“I would never.” Yeji looked at me. “I will attempt not to.” “Better.”
The walk to Lia’s villa was short enough for every instinct I had to prepare ten answers. Tell her I heard. Tell her she had never been small. Tell her I loved her. Tell her I would wait. Tell her she owed me nothing. Ten honest things waiting to crush the one she had chosen. I left them along the path.
Her light was on. I knocked once. The lock turned. Lia opened the door in a soft shirt and loose shorts, bare feet against the floor. Nothing arranged to make her appear braver. Only Lia.
“You came.” “Yeji said you needed something.” “I do.”
Her fingers stayed around the edge of the door. Then she opened it wider, “Come in.” I crossed the threshold. The door closed behind me. She remained near it while I stayed where she had left me. No approach. No assumption. The distance belonged to her.
“You know Yeji helped,” she said. “I suspected coordination.” “She made everyone leave me alone without making it obvious.” “She sent me hiking with Dahyun.” A faint smile, “I heard.” “I have been professionally compromised.” “She showed me the pictures.”
Betrayal continued expanding. The smile faded into nerves. I let the silence remain until she released the lock, “I asked her to send you.”
“I know.” “No.” Lia faced me. “You know she sent you. I need you to know I asked.” The difference landed “You chose this.” “Yes.”
Quick answer. Unsteady confidence afterward. She led me to the sitting area rather than the bed, “Can we sit?”
We took opposite ends of the couch, close enough to speak without making her account for my body. A glass of water waited on the table. Lia held it between both hands after one small sip, “I planned this better before you arrived.”
“That sounds dangerous.” “It was mostly sentences.” “Extremely dangerous.” Her shoulders lowered slightly “I thought I would know what to say once you were here.” “You do not have to perform the meeting.” “That is part of the problem.”
I waited, “You make everything obvious.” she said. “When you love someone, nobody has to wonder.”
“No.” “And I kept thinking that if I could not give you something equally clear, I should wait until I could.” “I never asked you to be like me.” “I know.” Her eyes lowered to the glass. “But quiet things feel smaller beside you.”
I had ten responses ready. All of them too large. “What would make this feel like yours?” She looked around the quiet room, “This. Talking first.”
“Then we talk first.” “And you do not tell me I am brave.”
I closed my mouth. She noticed. “You were going to.”
“I had an excellent speech.” “No speech.” “I shall refrain from speeches.” Her mouth softened “The last time still bothers me.” “It does not bother me.” “I know. That almost makes it worse.”
She explained why. I had stopped when she asked. I had not forced an explanation, acted wounded, or made her feel guilty.
“That is the minimum,” I said. “It should be. But afterward, I felt like I had taken you to a door and left you outside it.” “You did not owe me the room.” “I know that now.”
I leaned back, making the space between us less expectant, “You still do not.” Her fingers tightened around the glass “If all you want tonight is for me to sit here, I will stay. If you ask me to leave, I will leave.”
“No disappointment?” “There would be disappointment if you sent me away because you believed I deserved more than you wanted to give.”
Her eyes lifted “But not because I change my mind?” “No.” “Or become nervous?” “No.” “Or need another day?” “No.”
The room settled with her breathing. We talked about smaller things after that. Dahyun’s photographs. Yuna’s inflatable imprisonment. How close Ryujin had come to understanding Yeji’s plan before being distracted by my suffering.
Lia laughed. Actually laughed. The sound changed the room more than any speech could have.
She shifted closer over time without seeming to notice. I noticed and did not answer each movement with one of my own. Eventually, only our hands remained between us. “You are being unusually restrained,” she said.
“I received instructions.” “From Yeji?” “Several.” “What did she say?” “Do not overwhelm Lia.” “That sounds like her.” “I said I would never.”
Her eyebrow rose “I revised the statement.” “To?” “I would attempt not to.” “That sounds like you.”
Her hand moved first. One finger touched mine and remained there. I did not turn my palm or close around it. She added another finger. Then placed her hand against mine. I opened my palm. Lia threaded our fingers together. One honest thing.
She studied our joined hands “Ben, I love you.”
The words were quiet. They reached me without assistance. “I love you too, Lia.” Her eyes closed briefly, “You have said that before.”
“And I meant it before.” “I know.” She looked at me again. “But this is the first time I answered.” Her thumb moved against mine, “That was my one honest thing.”
“I know.” “Do not preserve it historically.” “I make no promises.”
A soft laugh. Then she leaned against my shoulder. Nothing seductive. Nothing requiring an outcome. She simply rested there, holding my hand, and allowed closeness to exist without needing to prove she could survive what came after it. I rested my cheek against her hair.
The room stopped feeling prepared. After a while, she asked, “What if I only want you to stay tonight?” “Then I stay.” “Sleep.” “Yes.” “Nothing else.” “I would do nothing else.”
She nodded. A few minutes passed, “And what if I change my mind?” “You tell me.” “And if I change it again?” “You tell me again.”
Lia lifted her head. Her gaze dropped to my mouth before returning to my eyes, “I want to kiss you.” Not a question. Still, I waited. She leaned in.
The first kiss was brief enough to remain cautious. When she drew back, I did not follow. Her eyes searched mine. Then she kissed me again. Longer.
Her hand settled against my chest while mine stayed visible on the couch beside her. When she drew back, her forehead rested against mine, “You can touch me.”
“Where?” The question surprised her.
She considered it, took my hand, and placed it against her waist, “Start here.”
I held her there. Nothing more. The next kiss carried enough certainty for her fingers to tighten in my shirt. When it ended, her nerves remained visible. She was no longer trying to hide them, “I do not want tonight to be proof that I can do this.”
“Then prove nothing.” “I want it because I want you.” “That has always been enough.”
She searched my face one final time. Then stood without pulling me toward the bed. First, she brought me close and wrapped both arms around me. I held her.
No escalation. Only Lia accepting the full weight of being held after spending so long believing she needed to match it, “I still might stop.”
“I know.” “And you will not make it mean I did not choose you.” “Never.” Her arms tightened. Then she looked up, “I am choosing you now.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed me again. When she stepped backward, she kept my hand in hers. Not because momentum had carried her there. Because she had stayed inside the moment long enough to decide what she wanted next.
I stayed seated. I didn’t lean back, didn’t sprawl; I kept my posture attentive, my hands resting on my knees. Every instinct I possessed—the part of me that wanted to pull her into my lap, to cover her in a thousand reassurances, to take the lead and erase every trace of her hesitation—was screaming. But I pushed it down. For Lia, the most romantic thing I could offer wasn't my intensity; it was my absence of it. I needed to be a mirror, reflecting only what she chose to show.
Lia didn’t stay seated next to me. She stood just inches away, her presence a warm, humming current. She looked at my hands, then back up to my eyes.
“I’ve spent a long time thinking about how this should happen,” she said, her voice small but clear. “I kept imagining a version of me that was... bolder. Someone who knew exactly what to do, who could match you. I thought if I wasn't that person, the moment would feel unbalanced. Or that I would be taking up too much of your space by being hesitant.”
“You aren't taking up space, Lia,” I said softly. “You are the space.”
A tiny, flickering smile touched her lips. She stepped closer, the scent of her—something like vanilla and a hint of the salt air—filling my senses. She reached out, her fingers grazing my forearm, a touch so light it was almost a question.
“I don’t want to be a different version of myself tonight,” she murmured. “I just want to be here. With you.”
“I’m right here.” “I know.”
She moved then, sliding into the narrow space between my legs, her hips brushing against my thighs. She didn’t climb into my lap, but she leaned in, her forehead resting against mine. We stayed there for a long minute, just breathing each other in. I could feel the heat radiating off her, the slight tremor in her frame. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and squeeze until there was no air left between us, but I waited. I waited for her to ask.
Lia shifted, her hand moving up to the back of my neck, her fingers curling into the short hairs there. She pulled my face a fraction closer, “Kiss me, again.” she whispered.
I obeyed. I kept it slow, a tentative exploration. I let her set the depth, let her dictate the pressure. When her tongue flicked against my lower lip, a sharp, electric jolt shot straight to my gut, but I didn’t surge forward. I met her pace, matching the cautious, searching quality of the kiss.
Lia made a small, soft sound in the back of her throat—a tiny whimper of relief—and pressed herself harder against me. Her hands moved from my neck to my chest, her palms flat against the fabric of my shirt, feeling the thud of my heart.
“You’re shaking,” she noted, her voice breathy. “I’m trying very hard not to carry you off to that bed,” I admitted.
Lia laughed, a genuine, light sound that broke the remaining tension. She pulled back just enough to look at me, her eyes dark and heavy with a desire that mirrored my own, “You can,” she said. “I want you to.”
She didn’t wait for me to move. She took my hand and led me the few steps to the bed. She didn't turn off the lamp. She wanted the light. She wanted to see me, and she wanted me to see her.
As we reached the edge of the mattress, Lia stopped. She turned to me, her fingers reaching for the buttons of my shirt. She worked slowly, her knuckles brushing against my skin with every button she undone. When the shirt finally slid off my shoulders, she let out a slow breath, her gaze traveling over my chest and stomach, “I like looking at you,” she whispered.
“I like you looking,” I replied.
She moved to her own clothes, her movements deliberate. She slid her shirt over her head, revealing a simple, lacy bra that hugged her curves. Then she stepped out of her shorts, leaving her in just her underwear. She stood there in the amber light, her skin pale and glowing, her posture slightly guarded but her gaze unwavering. She looked breathtaking—not because of a curated image, but because of the raw, honest vulnerability of her standing there, choosing me.
Lia reached out and guided me down onto my back, then she climbed over me, straddling my hips. She sat up straight, her breasts brushing against my chest, the friction of her lace against my skin making my blood boil.
“Stay here,” she commanded softly. “Don’t move unless I tell you.”
The restraint was becoming a physical ache, a pressure behind my ribs, but I locked my arms at my sides. I watched her, my pupils blown wide, my breath hitching as she leaned down to kiss my jaw, then my neck, her lips leaving a trail of fire across my skin.
She shifted, sliding down my body, her hair brushing against my stomach as she descended. When she reached the waistband of my trousers, she paused, looking up at me from between my legs “Is this okay?” she asked.
“More than okay,” I rasped.
She worked the fabric down, freeing my cock. It sprang upward, thick and pulsing. Lia stared at it for a moment, her expression a mix of curiosity and hunger. She reached out, her small hand wrapping around the base, her thumb stroking the head “You’re so hard,” she whispered.
“Because of you.”
Lia leaned in, her tongue darting out to lick the tip, tasting the salt and the heat. I let out a sharp groan, my hips jerking upward instinctively.
“I said stay,” she reminded me, a playful, knowing glint in her eyes.
I sank back into the pillows, my knuckles whitening as I gripped the sheets. Lia didn't rush. She took me in slowly, her lips sliding over the head, her tongue swirling around the rim. She began to suck, a rhythmic, wet sound filling the quiet room. She used her hand to stroke the shaft while her mouth worked the top, the combination of pressure and heat driving me toward a ledge I wasn't sure I could step back from.
She looked up at me while she did it, her eyes locked on mine, watching the way my face contorted with pleasure. She liked the power. She liked knowing that I, the man who managed everything, was currently completely at her mercy.
She increased the pace, her throat opening up to take me deeper, the suction intensifying. I could hear the wet, sliding sounds of her saliva coating me, the air being pushed out of her lungs in short, jagged huffs. My breathing turned into a series of guttural stutters.
“Lia...” I choked out. “I’m... I’m close.”
She didn't stop. If anything, she became more aggressive, her tongue working the underside of the head, her hand pumping faster. I felt the build-up in my loins, the inevitable surge of pressure that signaled the end. I tried to hold back, tried to give her more, but the sensation was too much.
I buckled, my back arching off the bed as I came. I let out a loud, unrestrained shout, my body shuddering with the force of the release. I pulsed heavily in her mouth, the hot, thick jets of cum hitting the back of her throat. Lia tried to swallow, her throat working rhythmically, but the volume was too much. As the last of the orgasm ripped through me, the remaining cum spilled over, splashing across her chin, her cheeks, and dripping down onto her tits and neck.
Lia pulled back, breathing hard, a thin string of saliva and cum connecting her lip to my cock. She sat back on her heels, her face smeared with my release, her chest heaving.
I stared at her, my heart hammering against my ribs. She looked wild—disheveled, marked, and utterly beautiful. The sight of my cum on her pale skin, the way it glistened under the amber lamp, sent a fresh wave of arousal crashing through me. I wasn't even fully recovered, and I was already hard again.
“You look... incredible,” I whispered, my voice wrecked.
Lia looked down at herself, then back at me. She saw the hunger in my eyes, the way I was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered. A flush of heat spread across her cheeks, and she let out a soft, shaky breath.
“I can tell you like it,” she murmured.
Lia’s eyes darkened. The sight of my desire, the realization that she had pushed me to the limit and left me wanting more, seemed to ignite something inside her. She leaned forward, licking a stray drop of cum from her upper lip, her gaze never leaving mine.
“I like that you want me this much,” she whispered.
She moved then, reaching for a towel on the bedside table to quickly wipe her face and neck, but she left a few streaks on her breasts, as if marking the territory. She crawled back up my body, her skin warm and soft, and pressed a deep, lingering kiss to my lips.
“Now,” she whispered against my mouth. “I want to feel you inside me.”
The air in the room shifted. The playfulness vanished, replaced by a heavy, shimmering tension. Lia guided me to the center of the bed, her movements slow and purposeful. She lay back, her legs parting naturally, inviting me in.
I hovered over her, my weight supported by my elbows. I looked at her—really looked at her. Her eyes were wide, shimmering with a mix of apprehension and longing. I didn't rush. I reached down, my fingers finding the entrance to her pussy. She was already soaking, her folds slick and swollen, humming with a heat that matched my own.
I rubbed my thumb over her clit, and Lia let out a sharp, sudden gasp, her hips tilting upward, “Right there,” she whimpered. “Please, Ben.”
“Do you want me now?” I asked, my voice a low rumble. “Yes. Now.”
I positioned myself, the head of my cock brushing against her wetness. I paused, waiting for her to breathe, waiting for her to be ready. Then, with a slow, steady pressure, I pushed inside.
Lia’s eyes flew open, her breath hitching in a long, jagged sob. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper, her internal muscles clamping tight around me. I groaned, the feeling of her tight, hot walls enveloping me nearly breaking my resolve. I stayed still for a moment, letting her body adjust, letting the sensation wash over both of us.
“You’re so tight,” I whispered, my forehead resting against hers. “It’s... it’s a lot,” she panted, her fingers digging into my shoulders, “But it’s... it feels right.”
I began to move, a slow, rhythmic grind. I didn't go for depth at first; I focused on the friction, the way our bodies slid against each other, the sound of our skin slapping together in the quiet room. Each thrust was a promise, each withdrawal a tease.
Lia’s breathing became erratic, her head tossing from side to side on the pillow. She began to moan, a low, melodic sound that vibrated through my entire chest. I increased the pace slightly, my movements becoming more fluid, more passionate. I watched her face—the way her eyes fluttered shut, the way her lips parted, the way she looked completely lost in the sensation.
“Ben... oh god, Ben,” she whimpered, her voice breaking.
I shifted my weight, sliding my hand down to find her clit again. As I thrust into her, my fingers worked in a steady, rhythmic circle. The combination was too much. Lia’s body suddenly stiffened, her back arching off the bed, her internal muscles pulsing in violent, rhythmic waves around me. She let out a soft cry, her eyes rolling back as she peaked, her orgasm ripping through her with a force that left her shaking.
The feeling of her climaxing around me was the final straw. I lost the battle with my restraint. I drove into her with everything I had, my thrusts becoming hard, fast, and desperate. I buried myself deep, feeling the point of my cock hit her cervix, and with a guttural roar, I came.
I felt the heat of my seed exploding inside her, wave after wave of thick, hot cum filling her. I collapsed against her, my heart racing, my lungs burning, as we both drifted in the afterglow of the first time.
We didn't move for a long time. We just lay there, tangled together, our breathing slowly syncing. I kissed her temple, her cheek, her forehead. “You okay?” I whispered.
“I’m... I’m more than okay. That… felt amazing.” she murmured, her voice sounding sleepy and content.
But the night was far from over. As the adrenaline faded, a new kind of hunger returned. It wasn't the desperate need of the first time, but a deeper, more curious desire. Lia shifted beneath me, her hand sliding down to my hip.
“I want to try something else,” she whispered.
She pushed me back, guiding me to sit up against the headboard. Then, with a sudden, surprising burst of confidence, she climbed on top of me. She sat facing me, her knees on either side of my thighs, her breasts swaying slightly.
“I want to be the one on top,” she said, her voice regaining that analytical, precise edge. I grinned, my heart leaping. “Then take the lead, Lia.”
Lia lowered herself slowly, guiding me back inside her. She let out a long, shaky exhale as she settled onto me, her eyes locking onto mine. She began to move, not with the frantic energy of a peak, but with a slow, grinding deliberation. She rotated her hips, finding the exact angle that hit her sweet spot, her expression one of intense concentration.
“Like this?” she asked. “Yes. Exactly like that— oh god, that feels great.”
Lia began to pick up the pace, her movements becoming more confident. She leaned forward, her breasts pressing against my chest, her hair falling around us like a curtain. I reached up, my hands gripping her waist, helping her find the rhythm. We moved together, a seamless, synchronized dance of skin and sweat.
The sound of our bodies interacting—the wet, slapping noise of her pussy gripping me, the sound of our joined breaths—filled the room. Lia was no longer just accepting the pleasure; she was crafting it. She leaned back, her spine arching, her gaze fixed on me as she rode me with a fierce, quiet intensity.
“I love... how you’re looking at me,” she panted. “Like I’m... everything.” “It’s just you and me in the moment, nothing else matters.” I groaned.
Lia’s movements became faster, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She began to bounce, her internal walls tightening, her clit rubbing against the base of my cock with every downward stroke. I could feel her building again, the tension in her thighs, the way her fingers clawed into my chest.
She let out a sharp, sudden scream as she peaked for the second time, her body shuddering violently. I followed her almost immediately, the friction and the sight of her coming on top of me triggering a second, powerful release— I surged upward, filling her again, my seed reaching the deepest part of her, creating a warm, slick mess between us.
Lia collapsed against me, her forehead resting on my shoulder, her breathing heavy and ragged. We stayed like that, the amber light of the lamp casting us in a golden haze.
“You’re amazing,” I whispered, my voice a rasp. Lia chuckled, a soft, tired sound “I told you I could do it.”
As we recovered, the mood shifted again. The passion was still there, but it had evolved into something more intimate, more exploratory. I gently rolled her over, placing her on her stomach.
“Is this okay?” I asked. “Yes,” she whispered into the pillow.
I entered her from behind, my chest pressed against her back, my arm draped over her side. This position felt different—more primal, more exposed. I could feel every curve of her, the softness of her breasts against the sheets, the arch of her back.
I moved slowly, my thrusts deep and steady. I reached around, my fingers finding her clit, stimulating her while I drove into her from behind. Lia let out a series of long, low moans, her fingers gripping the pillows. The feeling of being filled and stimulated simultaneously pushed her over the edge again. She whimpered, her body trembling, her pussy clamping tight around me in a series of exquisite spasms.
I followed her shortly after, the depth of the position allowing me to hit a spot that sent me over the edge with an intensity that left me breathless. I came inside her for the third time, the heat of my orgasm echoing hers.
We drifted for a while, the room falling into a heavy, satisfied silence. But as I looked at Lia—her skin flushed, her hair a mess, her eyes half-closed in bliss—I felt a final, overwhelming surge of love. I wanted to see her. I wanted to be face-to-face.
I gently moved her back onto her back, pulling her close so our legs were entwined, our bodies pressed together from chest to toe. This was the most intimate position of all. We looked into each other's eyes, the silence between us filled with everything we hadn't said for years.
“I love you, Lia,” I whispered. “I love you, Ben.”
We moved together one last time, not with the need for a peak, but with the need for connection. Every thrust was a word, every touch a confession. We moved in a slow, agonizingly beautiful rhythm, our breaths mingling, our hearts beating as one.
Lia’s desire became visible in the way she gripped my arms, the way she arched her neck, the way she whispered my name over and over again like a prayer. I felt her building, a slow, steady climb toward a final, crashing peak.
When it happened, it wasn't a scream; it was a sob. Lia clung to me, her entire body shaking, her eyes locked on mine as she surrendered completely to the pleasure. I followed her, my final orgasm which felt like the most powerful of the night, a total release of emotional and physical tension. I came deep inside her one more time, filling her inside with my cum to the brim, my body collapsing onto hers in a state of total exhaustion.
The afterglow was a thick, warm blanket. I didn't pull away. I stayed there, my weight supported by my arms, looking at her. Lia looked peaceful, her eyes soft, her breathing slowly returning to normal.
She reached up, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw, “Stay,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Lia shifted, pulling the blanket over both of us, tucking herself into the curve of my body. She didn't ask for a big speech. She didn't need reassurance. She just wanted the presence.
“Stay until I fall asleep,” she murmured, her voice trailing off. “I’ll stay until you wake up. And after that.”
Lia smiled, a small, private thing, and closed her eyes. I held her, listening to the hum of the AC and the distant ocean, feeling the steady beat of her heart against mine. I had spent my life building infrastructure for everyone else, but in the quiet of this room, I realized that the only structure that mattered was the one we had just built together.
The morning arrived with a soft, filtered light that crept through the curtains. I woke up slowly, the weight of Lia still pressed against my side. She was fast asleep, her face tucked into the crook of my neck, one arm draped across my chest.
I didn't move. I just watched her. In the daylight, she looked even more serene, the tension of the previous years completely gone from her features. She looked like she belonged here. She looked like she belonged with me.
Eventually, Lia stirred. She let out a long, slow yawn and blinked her eyes open. For a second, she looked confused, then she remembered. A slow, warm smile spread across her face, “Good morning,” she whispered.
“Good morning.” She shifted, rubbing her face against my shoulder. “How do you feel?” “Like I’ve finally stopped holding my breath.” Lia laughed softly and kissed my chest. “Me too.”
We stayed in bed for another hour, talking in low voices about nothing and everything. There was no rush to return to the group, no urgency to rebuild the schedules. For the first time in the entire vacation, the world outside the door didn't matter.
When we finally got up and dressed, the air between us had changed. The nervousness was gone, replaced by a quiet, unshakable certainty. As we walked back toward the pavilion for breakfast, Lia didn't hide behind me. She walked beside me, her hand slipped into mine, her fingers locked tight.
As we entered the dining area, the usual chaos was already in full swing. Nayeon was arguing with Sana about a hypothetical child's education, and John was currently being lectured by Momo about the importance of electrolytes.
The table went quiet for a split second as we arrived. They didn't say anything—they didn't have to. The way we walked, the way we looked at each other, the way Lia didn't let go of my hand—it was an announcement in itself. Ryujin smirked, leaning back in her chair. “Well. Look who finally decided to join the living.”
Lia didn't blush. She didn't look away. She just squeezed my hand and sat down, “I had a very productive evening,” she said simply.
The table erupted into a mixture of cheers, boos, and laughter. John caught my eye and gave me a small, knowing nod—a best-buddy acknowledgment of a mission accomplished.
I looked at Yeji, who was watching us with a soft, proud smile. She had cleared the path, and Lia had walked it. I leaned closer to Lia, whispering in her ear. “So. Was the light on a good choice?” Lia smiled, her eyes shimmering with a quiet, triumphant light, “It was the perfect choice.”
Across the table, Yeji heard her. Her smile did not become wider. Only softer. Relieved. Lia met her eyes and gave the smallest nod. Nothing anyone else would have understood. Enough for Yeji. Ryujin leaned forward “So—”
“No,” Lia said. Ryujin looked offended. “You’re making me sound like Nayeon unnie.” Nayeon looked up from farther down the table. “Why am I being used as a warning label?” “Because it works,” Lia said. Ryujin pointed at her. “That is profiling.” “It is experience.”
Yuna leaned around Ryujin, “For the record, my question was going to be respectful.” Lia looked at her “That sentence made it worse.” Yuna sat back, punished once again by her own reputation. Chaeryeong quietly moved a plate closer to Lia “Pancakes?”
Lia looked at her, then at the plate “Yes, actually.”
Chaeryeong served them. Lia thanked her. That was all. No interrogation. No comparison. No one asking who would be next. Breakfast resumed as though one of the largest emotional decisions of Lia’s life had not just entered the pavilion holding my hand.
The kindness was in the lack of ceremony.
Lia had not returned as someone new. She was still measured, still careful, still capable of making Ryujin legally uncomfortable with one look. She had not become fearless overnight. She had only stopped treating fear as an instruction to disappear.
Beneath the table, her knee rested lightly against mine. Not demanding attention. Not hiding either. I looked toward John.
He was already watching me. The nod he had given earlier still carried several possible meanings: congratulations, concern, or acknowledgment that both of us had survived emotionally complicated evenings involving women who understood us better than was medically comfortable.
I returned it. No speech. We had only recently recovered basketball communication. There was no reason to overload the system.
Mina sat beside him, looking rested in a way that kept drawing Nayeon’s attention. John caught the third glance, “Do not validate the warning-label allegations.” Nayeon placed one hand against her chest. “I am appreciating Mina’s complexion.”
Mina calmly lifted her drink “My complexion is excellent.” John looked at her. “You are helping.” “I am agreeing with a compliment.” Sana leaned closer to inspect her “You do look refreshed.”
John closed his eyes. Momo pushed water toward him, “Drink.” He obeyed without opening them. Character development continued.
Beside me, Lia reached for her coffee. Her hand paused halfway there. I moved the cup closer. She looked at me “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” No ceremony. No declaration that I would anticipate her caffeine requirements for the rest of recorded history. No immediate infrastructure proposal involving temperature control, preferred roasts, and emergency delivery schedules.
Restraint remained exhausting.
Yeji’s foot touched mine beneath the table. When I looked at her, she was smiling into her food. Proud. Possibly amused. Probably both. Breakfast gradually returned to its natural condition.
Chaeyoung attempted to recover the family-tree napkin. Jeongyeon moved it farther away without interrupting her meal. Yuna described a dream in which the inflatable ring had become sentient. Ryujin called it evidence of guilt.
Jihyo reminded John to stretch later. Momo reminded him to eat now. Tzuyu resolved both matters by adding more food to his plate. And Dahyun kept checking the time.
Once could have been accidental. Twice was suspicious. By the fourth, I knew.
Her notebook sat closed beside her plate, decorated enough to appear harmless and therefore deeply dishonest. A camera strap hung across the back of her chair. Something inside the bag shifted whenever she moved.
Something approximately microphone-shaped. I leaned toward Yeji, “Prepare yourself.”
“For what?” “Operational consequences.”
She followed my attention toward Dahyun. Then looked back at me, “You helped her.”
“I provided consultation.” “That was not my question.” “I gave her principles.” Lia took a slow drink “That sounds more dangerous than giving her instructions.” “Thank you.” “That was not praise.” “I accepted the useful part.”
Across the table, Dahyun closed one hand around the camera bag. John noticed immediately. His eyes narrowed, “What is in there?”
Dahyun looked at him “Love.” “That bag has electronics.” “Modern love.” “No.”
She stood. John’s body reacted before anything had happened. Not escape… assessment. His attention moved across the pavilion entrance, the nearby staff, the available paths, and every person seated at the table. Manager John beginning a systems check.
Me and Dahyun had predicted him correctly.
She reached into the bag and produced the wireless microphone. John stared at it, “No.” Dahyun switched it on regardless.
A soft crackle moved through the pavilion speakers. Several staff members looked toward us. One smiled with the tired recognition of someone who had received advance warning.
John turned toward him “You knew?” The employee raised both hands “We were instructed not to assign you any tasks today, sir.”
John slowly looked back at Dahyun. I concentrated on my breakfast. Professional confidentiality. Dahyun tapped the microphone. The speakers answered, “Testing.”
John covered his face “Dahyun.” “Boyfriend response confirmed.”
The table began laughing. Not at John. Around him. Exactly as planned.
Dahyun walked behind his chair and rested one hand on his shoulder, “Good morning, everyone.” Her amplified voice crossed the pavilion, entered the garden, and potentially continued toward neighboring islands.
Yuna applauded immediately.
Ryujin joined despite having no idea what she was supporting. Nayeon sat straighter. Sana lifted her phone before remembering that any evidence created here would require armed protection.
Jeongyeon continued eating. That was how she prepared for disasters she had already accepted.
Dahyun smiled down at John. He looked at her through his fingers, “You do not need a microphone.”
“I know.” “That makes it worse.” “I know.”
Her smile changed. Still bright. Still unmistakably Dahyun. But specific enough that only John needed to understand what lived beneath the noise. She faced the table again, “Before today’s official activities begin, I have an important introduction.”
John lowered his hands “Everyone here knows me.” Dahyun looked genuinely concerned “Not correctly.” “I have been here for the entire vacation.” “And yet widespread confusion remains regarding your current job description.” “I am on vacation.” “Exactly.”
She raised one finger.
“Effective immediately, John has been temporarily relieved of all managerial, logistical, scheduling, emergency, transportation, staff-support, equipment, and hydration responsibilities—”
Momo raised her hand “Not hydration.” Dahyun paused “Hydration remains under Momo’s authority.” Momo nodded “Good.” John looked between them “You negotiated jurisdiction?” “Before breakfast.” He turned toward Jihyo, she smiled over her coffee “Try vacation.” “That phrase has become hostile.”
Dahyun continued before he could begin preparing formal objections “Today, John has one responsibility.” She placed both hands on his shoulders and leaned down until her cheek nearly touched his. John became very still. Her voice remained loud enough for everyone. The words inside it belonged only to her.
“To be my boyfriend.”
Silence held for one second. Then the pavilion erupted. Yuna cheered. Ryujin slapped the table. Nayeon declared the promotion overdue. Sana wanted to know whether there would be an official badge.
Dahyun’s expression suggested the badge already existed somewhere beyond our field of vision. John looked up at her “You planned all of this.”
“I planned more than this.”
His expression shifted. Only slightly. The part of him preparing to manage the day finally understood there was nothing left to organize. Dahyun had arranged the staff, the schedule, the food, the equipment, and apparently the jurisdictional boundaries.
All he could do was remain beside her. Be embarrassed. Be loved. Lia’s fingers slipped through mine beneath the table. I looked down at them before meeting her eyes. Across from us, Yeji noticed. She held my gaze for a moment, then looked toward Lia without anything inside her expression becoming smaller.
Dahyun raised the microphone again “And now, I would like to formally introduce today’s featured boyfriend—”
John lowered his forehead onto the table “Please stop saying featured.” “I refuse .” “Dahyun.” “Yes, boyfriend?”
He lifted his head just enough to look at her. Despite everything, he was smiling. Dahyun saw it. So did I. Her hand settled against the back of his neck, and the performance softened around them for one quiet second. Then she drew another breath.
“Good morning, resort guests, staff members, witnesses, and anyone within the effective range of this extremely necessary microphone—” “It is not necessary,” John said.
Dahyun smiled.
“That bright, impossible smile he had always mistaken for proof that nothing beneath it could hurt.” Then she looked directly at him “Dahyun Day has officially begun.”
The pavilion erupted. John closed his eyes. Lia laughed beside me. Yeji smiled across the table. Dahyun kept one hand against the back of John’s neck while holding the microphone high enough to threaten the local wildlife.
And the chief architect of the approaching disaster was only getting started.
My librarian
M reader
Cast: Lia (ITZY)
Tags: Smut, praise kink, breeding kink
Word count: 3.1k
You’re walking back to your home after work, you had decided to drop your car off at the garage after an embarrassing car mishap. Leaving you to walk to and from work. Luckily the walk wasn’t hard with the help of a short bus ride.
You’re pretty new to the city, you relocated here for work and the city was treating you alright. Coworkers and supervisors were all old and treated you like their work kid, the apartment you lived in was decent as well. The only thing missing was someone to keep you company but surely it’d come sooner or later.
As you’re walking although it’s not the best idea or the smartest you’re on your phone, and sure enough your shoulder meets someone else’s. “God, I’m sorry. I wasn’t even watching where I was going.” You haphazardly say, shoving your phone into your pocket. You notice the person you bumped into was a girl and unfortunately she wasn’t able to maintain balance after the human collision. She’s on the floor with what looks like an entire mountain of books all over the sidewalk.
You immediately start picking them up while she fixes her skirt, which reveals her plump thighs. Not that you meant to stare or even notice. “No, it’s alright. I mean I don’t know what I was thinking about carrying all these books to the point it’s over my head.” The two of you laugh, and you notice there’s a small bookshop close by. Quick thinking gives you the solution of helping out the cute girl.
“If it’s alright with you. Would it be okay if I helped take these with you? It’s the least I could do after sending you flying.” You joke picking up a large pile of the books, leaving two or three for the woman to hold. “If it’s not a bother, I would love that. I’m Lia by the way.” You nod your head and introduce yourself as well.
By the time you reach the bookstore all the two of you could say we're introductions. “You can leave the books on the table, thank you so much.” Carefully you place the books down and you take a moment to look around.
The bookstore was quite different from others you had seen. It was neat and organized for the small space it had and had zero books on the floor. Either Lia was a clean freak or just had a natural talent for organization. But other than that, this was your moment. You definitely had an attraction towards Lia and you couldn’t just leave now.
“Would it be possible that you have ‘The woman in white’ in your store?” Thinking of a good book, so you could create some form of conversation. “Oh yes! I love Wilkie Collins. It should be somewhere in the back, come with me.” You watch the way her eyes light up as she speaks, you follow along.
“‘The woman in white’ is one of my absolute favourites. Anne’s story was tragic, to be locked up and be exploited her entire life.” She speaks as she pulls out the book from the far right of the shelf. “And if you were a character in the book, who would you want to be?” You ask, you’re not sure why you did or what you expected her answer to be but you did anyway. “I think I would want to be Marian.” You’re a bit taken aback by her answer.
“Marian? I was thinking you'd say Laura. Although, Marian was the smartest character in the book. She had to constantly take care of Laura. She never fully got her own happy ending either.” You say as Lia places the book in your hands. “Well, I’d love to tell you all about that but I’m closing the shop in around… 5 minutes.” Lia checks her watch and you nod your head. You’re strangely smiling at the situation.
“Well, now I know where your store is, so I’ll definitely drop by to hear the rest.” You say, taking the book. For a moment, it’s quiet, a comfortable silence, maybe it’s something that you haven’t heard or felt in a while.
Lia nods her head, and you both part ways. Suddenly walking home doesn’t feel like too much of an inconvenience.
——
You’re working through some client files that you received from your boss. It seems like a pretty small project and it’s within the city, so you’re grateful you don’t have to travel anywhere.
All you have to do is create a proper blueprint for the building and send it over to the engineers to work out, and finalize some other things. All in all, the project doesn’t seem like so much of a hassle.
Although, you do wish you could get it done as soon as possible. You’ve been so occupied with work, you don’t even have enough time to even think about dropping by on Lia and her bookstore.
Your coworkers are even noticing you go through your work faster than usual, trying your best to finish everything before overtime. Even when you do, the bookstore isn’t open like it’s regular time.
You don’t even know why you’re in such a rush to go see her, you wonder if it’s because you told her you would or perhaps you're attracted to her. You can’t figure it out right now but you’re almost certain if you see her one more time, you’ll know.
You feel a small tap on your shoulder, waking you from your thoughts. “Hey, sorry to bother you but could you help out this new client?” One of your coworkers asks, pointing at one of the rooms down the hall. You comply thinking that refocusing on work might help you clear your head.
“Hi there, I’ll be helping you with the blueprinting.” You introduce yourself, extending your hand for a shake. To which a soft hand greets you. “Long time no see.” It’s Lia, her soft voice ringing through your ear.
You’re jolted from your relaxation and your heart beat is now racing. “Oh, yeah hey. How uh have you been?” Struggling to get the words out, as Lia takes a seat in front of you.
“Didn’t know you worked here.” She smiled, placing her hands neatly on her knees. A small smile filled her face as she looked around the board room. You sit across from her, and you drink in her appearance.
Neat, and practically perfect, far different from your loose tie and the fact you weren’t wearing your blazer jacket. You felt even more conscious of your appearance when Lia rested her eyes on you.
“Yeah, I relocated here from another office so I’m not surprised you haven’t seen me.” You awkwardly laugh out, putting the dossiers on the coffee table that was keeping a distance between you and the librarian.
“Right, so how about you take a look at the few blueprints we have ready and you can tell me which one you like or if you have any changes to make.” Thankfully, you managed to sound like a normal employee speaking to their client.
Lia picks up one of the blueprints, her eyes running over the paper, taking in the details and checking her notebook to see if it meets her expectations. For some reason, she feels a bit different from that girl you had bumped into on the way home.
Mature, sound and more charismatic all without losing any of her charm. “This looks good but I’m worried about the allotted space I have in the new building I own.” Your thoughts are interrupted with the sound of Lia’s voice.
“Right, we already have the address and we can go check it out for you. See if we can make it work.” You say, calmly pulling out your work cell and sliding it towards Lia.
“I’m actually heading there right now, why don’t you just come with me?” Lia mentions while putting in her number. For a moment, you doubt you’d be the one going with her but you’re supervisor just tells you to not forget to take measurements.
The new building was very close, only around a 5 minute walk. “So did you enjoy the book?” Lia asked, something more than just curiosity dripping off the gorgeous woman’s lips. “Oh I loved it, any Collin’s book is always a great read.” You smile at her, taking in how pretty she looked.
“Very true, you know your stuff.” Lia complimented, a hand sliding over the back of your arm. You blush at the action, hoping your enjoyment of the touch is horribly obvious. She was practically toying with you with how she joked,and led the rest of the conversation. At times like this you wish you were less of an introvert.
You mutter something back to her a few times, which always manages to earn a giggle from Lia. She found you cute, entertaining even and she was curious about you. “Oh here it is, I think this key should work for it.” Lia says, as the two of you land at the building. She picks out a key hanging from a very cute pink keychain.
“I know that keychain, pink versions are hard to get.” You mention, your eyes looking at the keychain that fills up her small hands. “Is this a hobby of yours? Getting pink keychains.” Lia teases, placing the keychain in your hand.
“No, my sister just likes them, that’s all…. Although I do think they’re cute.” You say, denying the teasing jokingly. You fidget the keychain in your hand a bit, going over the pink fur on it.
The rest of time together, the two of you are working, joking around and getting to know each other better. By the time the two of you wrap up the rain starts pouring hitting the glass windows. “Gosh, it’s coming down like cats and dogs.” You mention staring at the outside. “My car is close by so I’ll grab it and come back.”
“No, don’t worry. I’m just going to wait it out. My house is pretty far even by car.” Lia shakes her head. You reason out that it might be a good chance to maybe take things further.
“Would you like to come over to my house then? It’s not far.” Lia smiles at your words. “If you don’t mind..”
—
“So the entire reason you’re here is because you poured the wrong oil into your car?” Lia says, laughing. “You know I’m slightly regretting telling you that. You can’t even blame me, I'm an office worker not a mechanic.” You try to rest your case but you can’t stop yourself from laughing either.
Lia’s phone gets a notification with a small ding. “Oh wow, I didn’t even realize how late it was. I should get going.” She says and you can tell that she’s feeling like she overstayed her welcome. “No, it’s already late so why don’t you just stay over. I told you how my sister stays over when she’s back from university so why don’t you use her room? Besides, I’m the one who invited you. Please?”
Your pleas work and before either of you know it, Lia is borrowing your shower. You’re still on the couch in some comfortable sweats with a glass of wine in your hand. You hear the shower door open, and a slight steam of hot air surrounds Lia. She’s drying her hair with a towel but you're barely noticing that. Your eyes are stuck on what she’s wearing, you were never the type of guy who enjoys a girl wearing his shirt but you’re starting to think that could change.
“Sorry, that was the smallest shirt I had.” You say, not too sure of what else could come out of your mouth. “No, it’s fine. I like it.” The room was quiet, you’re both sitting on the couch now. You pour Lia a glass of wine as well. She sits a bit closer to you to reach the glass. You’re not sure why you didn’t just pass it to her but you're thankful you didn’t. Her thighs are exposed and close to your legs.
“Are you… I don’t want you to think I’m just talking to you for this but are you single?” For a moment you thought that came out of your mouth but surprisingly Lia was the one who asked that.
“Yeah, and you are too?” You ask back, slightly smiling. She was obviously making it clear that she was into you. “Yep, I don’t think I’d be here if I wasn’t.” Her hand slides on top of yours. You respond to her touch by interlocking your fingers, your thumb rubbing over the back of her hand. You smell your body wash on her and for a moment it’s all you can think about.
You put down your wine glass, still holding her hand. You face half an inch away from hers and you lean in carefully watching to see if she’ll move away and she doesn’t. Your lips land on hers, softly pressing. You can feel her soft tongue enter your mouth. Lia raises her hand and holds it over your chest, beckoning you to lay her down.
Her head falls on the couch, laying on her back and the only source of light being the moon encourages her beauty even more so. Lia’s fingers hold the helm of your shirt and drag it up, you do the rest. Letting the piece of cloth fall to the floor with no consideration.
“Fuck, you’re everything.” You whisper gently in her ear. Lia’s breath hitches, a mix of nervousness and excitement fills her.
Your hand holds the soft skin under her thigh, for a few moments you're just caressing the softness. “Take them off for me.” Lia whispers, hiking your shirt that she’s wearing up, revealing her panties.
Your jaw clenched at the sight, you doubt you can hold yourself back after this, you slide her panties down her long legs and toss them somewhere. Your hand cups her soft pussy, letting a finger land in between her wet slit.
Your fingertip rubs over her clit inciting moans from Lia. You can feel her juices spread over to your palm when you slide a finger into her tight cunt. You add another finger, feeling her velvet walls clamp down on you.
Lia’s hands wrap around your shoulders, her fingers pressing down on your back. “You want more? Tell me.” Lia looks up at you, her lip placed between her teeth. She nods her head slowly, hoping it’s enough for you.
“No, use your words.” You tease, pressing your thumb against her clit. Lia’s back arches and her head is thrown back. “Plea- please, put in more!” She begs, her voice breaking up as her soft moans escape.
“Good girl, you know what good girls get for doing a good job? A reward.” As you promised, you add in a third finger, making sure she’s adequately stretched out.
Your fingers pump in and out of her pussy, the wet sounds fill up the room and Lia can no longer contain her moans. “You like that? Getting your pussy stretched out?” You ask, but Lia can’t even focus on you, her head almost dizzy from the pleasure.
Your finger pumps out of her cunt, your thumb rubbing over her clit, almost repeatedly. Her hips gyrate in pleasure as her arms grip your shoulders. Her chest rising and falling with sharp breaths as her eyes tightly shut as if she was trying to distract herself. Lia latches her hand around your wrist signalling you for what’s coming.
“N- no! Gonna cum, please!” She almost screams, her thighs shaking as she orgasms. Your fingers drenched with the young woman’s juices. “Get on your stomach, baby.” You say, patting Lia’s thigh, and she does what you say.
Propping herself up with her ass in the air and her head down. Her ass was nice and round, soft to the touch and perfect for you. Your hands grip the soft skin of her ass and you aim your hard cock at her entrance.
“Fuck- you’re so wet.” You exclaim, the tip entering slowly.
You can barely hold yourself back from fully entering Lia’s warm cunt. “Don't hold back, please.” She begs, almost sending your hesitancy to hurt her. You bottom out in her, letting her velvety walls wrap around you so perfectly.
Your hips thrusts rough yet slow, letting deep long strokes send chills up her spine. Lia’s back arching as she takes your hard shaft. She’s so tight around you and her soft whimpers only encourage you to continue.
Your hand grips her ass cheek softly as you pull apart the skin just to see how well her pussy was taking your girth. “Taking me so well, fuck.” You curse out seeing how her pussy lips almost sit on your pelvis when you enter her deeply. Lia can barely respond, so full of your cock that she can’t put thoughts together.
“Pleas- faster.” Lia lets out soft pleas for you to go faster, your teasing driving her crazy. Her words slur as you grant her wish. Your hips are thrusting faster than before. Her cute ass jiggling every time you enter her fully. Before you even know it, she squirts all over the couch.
“So- sorry, I’m so- uhn sorry.” Lia sobs out, burying her head into the soft fabric of the couch. “I don’t think you're sorry if you’re still moaning so loudly.” At your words her hands slap over her mouth quickly. You find it adorable how well she listens to you. Her willingness to obey your every word.
“Good girl, you’re doing such a good job. Isn’t that right princess?” She nods her head vigorously, delighted to receive high praise from you. Her pussy tightening even more around your cock as she feels every moment even more clearly. The overstimulation from just cumming makes Lia so shaky, her hips jittering with every thrust you make.
Lia, too scared to upset you, doesn’t complain and takes the overstimulating pleasure as you stuff her full. Your cock twitching within her tight gummy walls. You know you’re close.
“You want me to come inside you? Get my pretty client ready to be a mommy?” You whisper, Lia throws her head back, her eyes rolling back. “Come on, say it, baby. Tell me what you want.” Embarrassment crawls up onto Lia’s face. Swallowing her pride she turns her head sideways to try and face you. “Plea- please fill my womb up, breed me.” Her words choke out, struggling to complete her sentence.
“Good job, baby. You did so good for me.” You groan, your hips stuttering as your balls tighten before letting your hot semen spill into the gorgeous librarian.
“Are you mine from now on?” You whisper softly into her ear. “Yes, yes please.” Lia murmurs, the back of her hand pressed softly against her lips.
I rarely see any lia fics and I was wondering if you could write a gp!lia where she’s super needy, whimpering mess and begging the reader to ride her, please? 🥹
also I love your work sm!! 🫶🏼
───MINORS & MEN DON'T INTERACT───
» » pairing: g!p lia x fem!reader
» » fic type: smut oneshot
» » what's in here: consensual sex, desperation, riding, creampie and profanities
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You watched her squirm in bed, she urgently pulled you closer into her as you straddled her laps. Lia's lips deeply kissed yours as she firmly pressed her fingers against the skin of your waist. Bare, only skin to skin in her bed. Heavy breaths mingling. Lia's cock rubbed against the lips of your pussy—eliciting a sigh from your lips, the precum was leaking and mixed with your wetness.
“Please,” Lia begged.
She's always been needy, but tonight it's overwhelming and her breaths come in short, desperate pants and her eyes plead with you.
“I need you so bad. Ride me... fuck, just sit on my cock. I can't take it anymore.” Her fingers dug into your thigh, trembling and she lets out a soft, broken sob when you tease her by brushing your fingers along her length.
Sinking down onto her, you take her inch by inch, her cock stretching you perfectly. Lia's head fell back, a guttural moan escaping as her hands grip your hips. “Fuck, you're so tight... move, please, ride me hard.” She's a mess already, tears pricking her eyes from the intensity, her body shaking beneath you.
You start rolling your hips, lifting and dropping steadily. Each thrust made her cry out, her whimpers mixing with begs. 'Harder... don't stop, I need it.”
Her nails bit into your skin as she thrusted up to meet you, desperate to bury herself deeper.
The pace built, your bodies slapping together, her cock pulsing inside you. Lia's a whimpering wreck, babbling nonsense between moans.
“I'm close— Fuck, please, let me cum inside you.” You grind down harder and she is shattered, her release flooding you hot and thick, sobbing your name, clinging to you like she'll break without it.
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みかん畑を散歩する oOo 🍊🤲🏻
昆虫のパレードを発見しました、🪲🪱🐌
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏みんなで踊ってシェア。
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